Through the Mist (OLD)
by thedragonprincess21
Summary: As of 2020 - this story has been moved. I am currently re-writing it and I thought that'd be easier. If you want to (or have already) fav/follow it for updates - please follow Through the Mist (REWRITE) as this old one is now only for my personal reference and discontinued. Thank you!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note -** Twilight used to be an old favorite of mine. While it isn't as much now I decided to explore the waters of it once more. I've always been intrigued by the idea of crossing it over with the Percy Jackson world and I decided that I'd write a story involving these two worlds clashing. I hope everyone enjoys it! I don't own any of the characters in here - everyone belongs to Rick Riordan and Stephanie Myer!

P.S. Just so you guys kind of get a feel of what the time setting is for this story - it falls into place _after_ the events that occurred in _Blood of Olympus_ and after the events of _Breaking Dawn_ so yes, there could be spoilers for both series in this story so be aware of that if you don't like spoilers!

Also I understand that this is the typical "hey we're related" sort of scenario, but I'm going to try my best to make it unique! Thank you very much for reading - feel free to give me any feedback if you'd like!

* * *

 **Through the Mist**

 _Chapter One._

It all started out with a phone call.

I was home with my mom and Paul – after the war with Gaea I had decided to "kick back" for a bit and just rest. Everyone had been exhausted and sort of went their own separate ways to recover from the battle. Annabeth and I had decided to focus on our studies – we both agreed on the idea on enrolling into New Rome University someday together and preparing for it had soaked up most of our time ever since then. It was a good feeling though – having something to focus on other than the impending doom of the universe was certainly refreshing. On top of that, my mother was pregnant. Seven months pregnant to be exact. When she first had announced it to me, I had been nervous and excited at the same time – and somewhat relieved. Relieved because I knew that my unborn sibling would be born as a normal mortal being, but nervous because I hoped my presence around her wouldn't attract anything sinister. I would have to careful. Tapping my finger absently against my desk quietly, I sighed as I stared down at the blank word document front of me. The cursor was blinking slowly, almost as if it was mocking me, and I finally leaned back. I was never really much of a writer and this essay assignment was about to be the death of me. "Percy?" My mom's voice traveled through my closed door, "May I come in?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

The door opened and my mother walked in, a smile appearing on her face as she took in the scene of my messy desk. "I thought you could use a short break and I brought you these." She took a seat on the edge of my bed, offering me a plate of cookies. Did I mention that my mother was literally a gift from the gods?

Not wasting anytime, I plucked one of the cookies off the plate. "Thanks. Who was on the phone?"

"That's what I came here to talk to you about," She replied, still smiling. She seemed like she was in a light mood so it must have been good news, "You see, I've been putting some research into my own family lately. Paul's class has been working on genealogy and such and I suppose it just perked my own curiosity – I can't do much like I used to with this little girl at the moment." She gave her stomach a fond pat, causing me to smile. "Anyway, I found out that my father was briefly involved with a woman other than my mother," The thought of it caused his mom to frown a bit, "my father loved my mother deeply so it's a bit hard to believe that he was involved with someone else other than her. Uncle Rich always told me that the two of them had been inseparable, but I suppose there's quite a bit that I don't know. I never knew my parents too well." She nipping on one of her own cookies as she spoke. "All of that aside, though, I learned that I have a half-brother by the name of Charlie Swan. I don't know all of the details right now, but that was him on the phone a bit ago. We've actually been emailing back and forth for a week or so – just trying to learn more about each other before we decided on anything. He actually has a daughter who's close to your age – Bella is her name, I think."

It was nice hearing the happiness in my mother's voice. "That's really cool. What did he say on the phone, then?"

"Well, he wants us all to officially meet," My mom's smile widened, "I was hoping all three of us could go there together. It could be our little family getaway. I've already spoken to Paul about it a bit ago and he agreed that he'd probably be able to get the time off."

"Where would we be going?" I couldn't deny that I was curious about this side of my family. My mom didn't really talk much about her side of the family so I never really knew much about them.

"Forks, Washington."

"Washington?" My smile disappeared, "As in _Washington?_ Not Washington, D.C."

"Yes. What's wrong?"

"Isn't that a bit far…?" I glanced down at her stomach. Sure she still had a few months ahead of her, but still – traveling all that way would probably take its toll.

My mom waved a dismissive hand at me. "Don't worry about me," Her eyes were shining, "I'll have to take it easy, of course, but I think taking some time in some new scenery will be healthy. I think it'll be a good idea for you too, Percy. All you've done since… well you know, is study and you've been working really hard. Doesn't a vacation from everything sound nice?"

"Yeah… can't argue with you there," I admitted, giving her a grin. It was hard to disagree with her when she was in such high spirits. "Okay, I'll go with you both. When are we leaving?"

"We'll be leaving in three days – I know it's a bit short noticed so I hope that doesn't cause you too much trouble, but I wanted to be on the earliest flight possible." She seemed to miss the grimace I made when I heard the mentioning of "flight". Zeus was going to literally murder me. Hopefully he'd tolerate it this once – otherwise I'd be arriving at Forks toasted. "I'm not sure how long we'll be staying – so may pack for at least a week?" My mom continued on thoughtfully, "I don't think we'll be staying any longer than that."

* * *

When the day had finally come, I was hurriedly stuffing a few last minute items in my blue suitcase. I had already sent an Iris Message to Camp Half-Blood and Annabeth just to inform them that I'd be MIA for a bit. Just to make sure that there wouldn't be some full blown panic if someone thought I'd been kidnapped or something. It was only six thirty in the morning when the three of us arrived at the airport and I could feel my nerves bubbling up a bit as I entered through its sliding doors. The only time I felt safe in the air was when I was on the back of Blackjack and the idea of getting into yet another aircraft was already making me feel a bit nauseous. "Are you okay, Percy?" The voice of my mother drew me from my grim thoughts, and managed a smile.

"Yeah… I'm fine… it's just," I made a helpless gesture, "I'm not really good with being up in the sky. Zeus and all." I lowered my voice a bit towards the last bit of my sentence.

My mother's mouth formed an "O" of sudden realization, and her gaze turned even more concerned. "Will you be okay? You should have mentioned this before!" She sternly stated, frowning in disapproval.

"Don't worry about it." I chuckled, "It'll probably be a rough ride for me, I won't lie, but I don't think even _he_ would dare to strike down a jet that's full of innocents. He'd get a major backlash." In truth, I had almost been tempted to ask if I could ride Blackjack all the way to Forks, but decided on dismissing that idea. I wanted this family trip to be as normal as possible and as much as I loved my loyal steed, he was anything but normal. My reassurance didn't seem to completely convince my mom, but there wasn't really much we could do now as we boarded the plane. As I expected, as soon as we lifted off dark clouds were beginning to form as the jet lifted higher and higher into the air. I could hear rumbles of thunder through the glass of the plane's window and I gritted my teeth as the first of many turbulences struck the craft. This was definitely going to be a very long ride.

Paul and my mom did their best to distract me from the nausea that was creeping up my throat, but there wasn't much they could do with the worsening weather outside. I could practically feel Zeus' outrage seeping into the plane and I sent him a mental prayer to just allow me to pass just this once. I'd send for Blackjack for my ride home for sure – I doubt my uncle would tolerate me riding all the way back on top of it all. The turbulences seemed to grudgingly lessen after my plea, but not entirely. I took that as a sign that my life was going to be spared for now and almost sighed out loud in relief.

It took about roughly six hours for us to reach our destination, and when the plane touched the ground, I nearly sank off of my chair as all the tension lifted off of me. My mom gave me another look of concern, but before she could ask me if I was okay, I stood, helping Paul out with our luggage. Apparently we were going to stay in a nearby hotel for the duration of our stay and now that the whole flight was over I was actually looking forward to exploring a new place and meeting my newfound uncle and cousin. From what I learned, she was actually already married and had a kid. I wasn't one to judge or anything, but that news had surprised me a bit. Hadn't my mom said she was around my age? The thought did make me a smile a bit, though. It must be nice to already know where your life was heading this early on. "We're going to stop by the hotel first and check in," Paul told me as he waved down a taxi, "Did Charlie tell you where he wants to meet?" He glanced towards my mom who was unfolding a piece of paper.

"He said that we can just go ahead and meet him at his home. He told me his address," She lifted up the paper a bit. "But how about we take an hour or so at the hotel and rest a bit? It's been a long trip."

I was relieved when I heard her say that and as soon as we were up in our room, I faceplanted in the bed closest to the window with a groan. "You hanging in there, kiddo?" Paul chuckled, giving me a sympathetic pat on my back. "If you want we can save meeting Charlie for tomorrow," He glanced towards Mom as if making sure if that'd be okay and she nodded, "you look pretty drained."

"Nah," I smiled reassuringly, "I am pretty exhausted, but I'm excited to meet him – and from what I heard Charlie's eager too." In spite of assuring, I took that entire hour just to completely pass out and nap while they situated and unpacked everything. By the time I was shaken awake again it had already been a little bit over an hour and it was finally time to meet up with my uncle. Trying to fight off the urge to yawn, I decided to change and freshen up a bit. My hair was an absolute mess and my face was begging to be washed. I wasn't really sure what to wear, but Forks was cooler than I expected and ever since I arrived it had been drizzling so I opted for one of my hoodies and a pair of dark jeans.

My earlier tiredness was now lifting and it was beginning to be replaced with excitement as the three of us packed ourselves into our rental vehicle. Compared to Manhattan, Forks was shock to the system for us. It was just so _small_ and felt more like a village than even a town, but maybe that was just because we were used to city life. It was fun taking in the sights, though, and I found myself lost in thought as I watched the scenery flash by. It took a bit for us to arrive, and as we pulled up to the address, I took note of the cruiser in the driveway. _So he's a cop._ I mused thoughtfully. There was still quite a bit I didn't know about him, but somehow it seemed appropriate. From how my mom spoke about him, he did seem like he'd be the reliable type.

By the time we parked and stepped out of the car, Charlie was standing outside ready to greet us. He was shuffling a bit, appearing a tad bit nervous himself – which I couldn't blame him, but he shook both Paul's and my mom's hands as we approached. "It's nice finally meeting you. I'm sorry that there isn't enough room for you here."

My mom smiled. "It's not a problem at all," She grabbed my arm gently, tugging me out from behind her, and I gave my uncle a shy, sheepish grin. "This is my son, Percy."

Charlie offered his hand out to me giving it a strong shake as I took it. "It's nice to meet you, son."

"Nice to meet you too." I could already tell that I was going to like him. He had a kind demeanor and all the nerves that had built up from before had eased away. Charlie invited us all inside and told us to make ourselves at home. Apparently Bella and her husband, Edward, were going to be joining us soon. They were bringing their daughter Nessie with them too. In the meantime, I listened to the conversation between Charlie and my mom. The atmosphere was still a bit awkward between all of us but not uncomfortable. As fun as it was meeting my uncle, I was interested in meeting my cousin the most. It'll be nice to have someone a bit closer to my age to talk to after being around adults all day. No offense to them, of course.

When Bella finally arrived, the front door nearly slammed open as a figure darted into the living room, jumping up in Charlie's arms. "Hi Grandpa!" The young girl greeted him cheerfully, pecking him on the cheek. I couldn't help but smile at her. She appeared to be at least four or five years old, maybe five? I wasn't sure – but she almost seemed to be even bit older than that.

"Hi, sweetie," Charlie gave her a hug. His features seemed to lighten upon her presence and the look made him appear even younger.

When Bella and her husband entered the room, however, it was an entirely different story. Almost instantly alarm bells went off in my mind – basically screaming DANGER. It was all I could do to not reach into my pocket and uncap Riptide. I'd brought it along just in case, but I had hoped to every god above that I wouldn't have a reason to use it. I really did need a vacation. Instead, I tried to calm myself and relax back against the cushion of the couch. Maybe I was being a bit too paranoid – their daughter seemed normal enough, after all. I knew those were close to famous last words, but jumping to conclusions would only complicate things. "Sally, Paul, Percy – " I turned my attention to Charlie as he spoke up, "This is my daughter, Bella and her husband, Edward."

"Bella!" My mom was the first to speak. She was beaming. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm guessing this is your daughter, Nessie?" She smiled at the little girl who was now staring at her curiously.

"Yes." Bella's voice was soft and nice to listen to. She was smiling at Nessie as she spoke. "It's really nice to meet you too."

It was Edward who finally acknowledged my presence first. He gazed at me curiously for a moment, his brow furrowed a bit in what appeared to be mild frustration. Realizing I was looking at him now too, he flashed a friendly smile. "Percy is it?" He held out a hand. "I heard about you a bit from Charlie."

Reluctantly, I took his hand, shaking it. It was ice cold and it was all I could do to stop myself from shivering. "Hopefully nothing too bad." I tried to smile in return. For my mother's sake, I wanted this little family reunion to go as well as it could. Even if it was possible that her "normal" family was not normal by any means at all.

I inwardly sighed.

 _There goes my vacation._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note -** Here's the second chapter of this story! I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who have given their support for this story so far even while it's this early on - it's much appreciated and I hope you continue on liking it! I wanted to mention that usually it take a few days in between for me to update, as I want to make sure that each chapter is good and ready to go. So thank you in advanced for your patience!

(Also - just a small thing to note - I tend to favor on building up stories when they multiple chapters, so it may take a bit for some action to finally take place. I promise things will start picking up soon! Thank you for reading!)

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Through the Mist**

 _Chapter Two_

Becoming acquainted with everyone proved to be more tiring than I thought it would be. I don't think it was really them, though. I think I was still a bit beat up from the flight over and by the time evening finally rolled around, I found it a bit hard to keep my eyes open. I think at some point I actually began to doze off, because the next thing I knew, I felt someone crawl up onto my lap. My eyes opened and I was surprised to see that Nessie had made herself comfortable. She had been shyly avoiding me most of the time during our visit so I hadn't expected her to approach me like this.

"You're comfy and smell nice." She yawned, leaning her head against my shoulder sleepily.

"Um, thanks." I replied, not able to bite back a smile.

The others had paused in their conversation and were now looking over at the two of us. My mom was the first to smile at the scene. "That's really cute... I should get a picture."

I groaned softly. "Mom."

Suddenly Nessie's eyes opened, and she beamed up at me. "I want a picture!" She said excitedly, the sleepiness from before seeming to lift like a cloud. "I've never had a picture with a cousin before. Pleaseee?"

Her puppy dog eyes were killing me. They were almost as bad as the charm speaking of an Aphrodite kid. Personally, I've never had been one to like too many pictures, but I was finding it rather hard to say no to her and could already feel like this would be a losing battle. Sighing, I finally relented, giving a slight nod. "All right. But just one picture," I grumbled, "I don't want the flash of the camera to be engraved in my eyes or something."

My mom was already on her feet, taking out the camera. There was a smug look in her eyes as she turned it on. "I think I might borrow you a few times, Nessie, if it's okay with your parents. Trying to get pictures of Percy is almost like pulling teeth." Nessie gave a happy giggle, hugging me tightly as my mom raised the camera. She took more than one shot, but it was worth it. She seemed to be really enjoying herself.

"So, Percy," It was Edward who spoke - his voice was curious, "how old are you?"

"I'm seventeen." I was a bit more relaxed around them now. When they first walked into the room, every warning bell ever had been ringing in my head, but they seemed a bit different. Friendly monsters weren't unheard of - I mean there's Mrs. O'Leary for example - she was literally the only hellhound I could think of who was friendly, but it's still possible.

"I see. Are you still in school?"

"Yeah, I'm planning on going to college soon - hopefully." I smiled, my thoughts drifting to Annabeth, "I'm thinking about majoring in marine biology."

"Marine biology?" Edward seemed mildly impressed, "I heard that can be a bit difficult at times. Especially while studying it in school."

I grinned. "It'll probably be a bit hard, yeah, but I'm already pretty much a fish myself so I think I'll be fine."

Nessie was asleep by the time we were ready to leave, and as Bella picked her up gently from my arm, she woke up a bit. "You should come over to my house, Percy," She sounded only half awake and her words a bit blended together, "it's really nice there."

"I could swing by, maybe," I glanced towards Bella and Edward, "as long as it's okay with your parents."

Bella smiled. "I wouldn't mind it. We could introduce you to everyone else. We live near Edward's family and I'm sure they'd be happy to meet you."

"Can he come visit tomorrow?" Nessie asked, sounding hopeful.

"Well," Bella's amber eyes flickered toward me questioningly, "as long as he's not too tired. He's had a long trip here, honey."

"Nah, I'm okay," I shook my head. I was pretty tired, but as soon as I had arrived to Forks I wanted to get out and explore a bit. "How about I come by after breakfast tomorrow?"

After arranging everything for tomorrow's visit, we headed back to the hotel. I was pretty much already asleep as soon as I hit the pillow, but before I could drift off, there was a soft buzz in my pocket. Now, I know what you're thinking already: _Percy, is that really a cell phone? Do you really want to die that much?_ I get it. It's not the best idea in the book when it comes to being a demigod, but even if it was a basically a beacon to monsters, it did have a few perks. I've already had cases of being called crazy for talking to puddles when in the middle of an Iris Message. That, and now I wouldn't be completely screwed if I didn't have any drachma. I really only use it to keep in touch with Annabeth, anyway, and so far it hasn't caused too many monsters to viciously kill me yet.

It was a message from Annabeth - other than Paul and my mom, she was really the only other contact on there. _Hey. How did the meeting go? Are they nice?_

 _Yeah, they're cool. Bella's daughter, Nessie, is very cute. It was kind of weird though - when I first met Bella and her husband they seemed… off. Ya know the feeling you get when you feel like there's a monster ready to kill you? It was that feeling._

She was quick on replying. _Do you think..?_

 _I don't know. Hard to tell, honestly. They seemed really nice after a while and the feeling pretty much disappeared. But still..._

 _Just be careful. Maybe we shouldn't text each other for the time being - just in case._

 _Yeahhh might be a good idea. I'll IM you, though, if anything comes up. Love ya._

 _You too, Seaweed Brain._

Turning my phone off, I slipped it into one of my suitcase pockets and settled back down under my blankets. It was starting to rain again and the rhythmic pat-pat against the glass was enough to lull me to sleep. It was a peaceful night - no strange dreams or anything - just sleep for once. I'd never admit this to my mom, but my bed at home could never compare to this bed - it was really comfortable. The first thing I heard the next morning was the low voices of Paul and my mom in the bed next to mine. I was still partially asleep, so I couldn't really understand what they were saying, but it was still a nice feeling… waking up to the sound of my parents talking, I mean. I know it was just a simple thing, but it made me feel normal.

I must have fallen back to sleep at some point, because the next time I woke up to someone shaking me lightly. Paul stood there, a light grin across his lips. "It's almost ten, so we thought we'd wake you. You wanted some breakfast before you headed off to the Cullens' place, right?"

I noticed that he put a bit of emphasis on the "you" part. "You and Mom aren't coming?"

"We were, but then Charlie sent a message to your mom this morning asking if she and I would want a tour around town with him. He was gonna swing by and pick us up, so you'd be able to use the rental." Paul stated, "And I've always wanted to ride in a police cruiser so…"

I smirked. "This is probably better than your original plan to get temporarily arrested."

"What's this about getting arrested?" My mom walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair off with a towel.

Paul laughed nervously. "Nothing – are you ready to go?"

Instead of responding to him right away, my mom looked towards me as I rose from my bed. There was a touch of worry in her eyes and I already knew what was coming. "Are you sure you'll be able to get there on your own, Percy? We can always tell Charlie that we're dropping you off first, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"No. I'll be just fine," I chuckled, "even if I get a bit lost, it'll be cool exploring a bit. Plus I have your number now."

One other positive on having a phone was that it relaxed my mom a bit. She'd always have a way to get a hold of me – even if I don't check it regularly. "Okay, if you say so. Paul and I will be heading off here soon. You should get down to the dining area, though. They're going to stop breakfast soon."

By the time I changed out of yesterday's clothes and made my way down to the dining area, they were beginning to clean up after breakfast. Lucky for me, they were still technically serving it, so I was able to fill my plate up. There was nobody else around other than the staff, but it was a nice place. There was soft music playing overhead and it was quiet. Compared to my last hotel experience – which involved screaming kids and faulty air condition – this was pretty fancy. "We're leaving now, Percy," My mom's voice made me turn my head. She waved. "Just message Paul or me if you need anything."

"Okay. Have fun with Charlie." I waved in return, watching as they disappeared through the sliding doors. From what it looked, it appeared to be still drizzling out and the sight made me sigh a bit. I didn't mind rain – being around a source of water was always convenient, but I was starting to miss the sun a bit. After finishing my breakfast I decided that a quick shower was probably a good idea before I headed out. It caused me to be a bit more ate than I originally intended, but now I felt more awake and refreshed. As I slipped my shirt back on, I glanced down at my nightstand. Riptide, in its pen form of course, sat there and without a second thought, I slipped it back into my pocket. _Just in case._ I had a feeling that Bella's family were okay and not raging monsters, but one thing I've learned the hard way was that you could never be too prepared.

As soon as I was on the road, I sort of regretted my choice of doing this by myself. I was a master of direction when it came to being out in the water, but if you give me directions while out on the road? No so much – I might end up in Canada or something. The Cullens didn't really make my life easier either because they apparently lived out in the middle of nowhere on top of it all. I couldn't really count how many times I went in the wrong direction, but by the time I finally was able to find their place, it was already a bit past noon. As I pulled up, Nessie was the first to rush out into the clearing, bouncing excitedly as I parked and stepped out. "Percy! You're finally here!" She squealed happily, giving me a hug.

"Sorry," I gave her a grin, "I got a bit lost."

"It's okay!" She grabbed my hand, tugging me lightly along.

I whistled lowly in amazement as I took in the house. It was gorgeous – and it looked so open with all the windows. "Wow. Your house is so cool."

She giggled. "That's actually my Grandpa Carlisle's house. My house is behind it – I'll show you that first—"

"Hang on, Ness," Edward's cool, amused voice interrupted her, "let the others meet him first." The two of us paused, and as I looked over, Edward stood there. Bella was next to him and behind them there were curious faces of the Cullens waiting patiently.

The oldest guy – Carlisle I assumed – walked forward first, giving me a friendly smile as he offered me his hand. "Hello, Percy. I'm Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife, Esme. It's nice to finally meet you." Esme gave me a kind smile as he introduced her and it was hard not to return the gesture.

"Finally?" I wondered, taking his hand. It almost sounded like they were expecting me when he put it that way.

Carlisle's smile turned into a slight grin. "Renesmee was talking nonstop about you coming over this morning, so all of us have been a bit eager to meet you."

Before I had a chance to respond to that, I was suddenly hugged by the shortest of the women. "It's nice to meet you, Percy." She said, her voice cheerful. "My name is Alice."

"Um, it's nice to meet you too." I blushed a bit – totally caught off guard.

The guy next to Alice was smiling in amusement and he leaned towards Alice's ear. "I think you're scaring him a bit."

Alice quickly let me go after hearing that, but her excitement still shone in her eyes. "Sorry." She grabbed the man's arm. "I'm Edward's sister, though, and this is my husband, Jasper."

There were two others waiting to introduce themselves – they seemed to stand a bit away from the commotion, but I assumed that they were together by the way the guy had his arm wrapped casually around the girl's shoulders. I'd never say this in front of Annabeth (she'd kill me – no joke) but the girl was absolutely beautiful – like model worthy beautiful. She also didn't really look too sure about me because each time I glanced in their direction, she was giving me a guarded look. It was only when the commotion died down a bit that the guy spoke. "Emmett's the name." Unlike his partner, Emmett had a light and relaxed look in his eyes. "And this is Rosalie." Despite the friendliness in his voice there was a spark in his eyes that reminded me very suspiciously of the Stoll brothers. I'd definitely have to keep my guards up.

"So you guys all live together?" I cringed a bit when the question slipped out. I didn't mean it in a rude way, but it still was a bit strange. They all seemed old enough to have their own places – I mean Bella and Edward did – it wasn't my place to handing out judgement, though.

Luckily, my question didn't seem to offend any of them. "We do. We're really… family orientated you could say," It was Esme who answered my question, "granted the house wasn't nearly big enough for all of us to fit once Bella and Renesmee joined our family, which is why they live separately now, but we're all very close."

"Is there a problem with that?" Rosalie narrowed her eyes a bit on me, as if daring me to try and make another poke at their lifestyle.

Quickly I raised my hands, and shook my head. "No, no. Definitely not. I actually think it's really cool that you're all close to one another. It was just my mom and I for a while so I'm still kind of getting used to all this family stuff." Probably best not to mention that I had _other_ family than just Paul and my mom.

"How far is your mother's baby along?" Bella asked me curiously. "She looks close."

"Seven months." The idea of having a little sister was still a bit nerve wrecking to me as it was exciting. "I'm a bit nervous about it actually," I admitted, grinning lightly, "There will be a big age gap between us so I won't always be around for her."

Rosalie was seeming a bit more relaxed now – she was actually smiling a bit. "So it's going to be a her?"

"Yeah. My mom originally wanted it to be a surprised, but then she got impatient and wanted to know." I snickered. "My step-dad and I called it way ahead of time, too. She and surprises don't really mix."

"You could be my brother if you want to practice." Nessie suggested, giving me a light tug on my hand to draw my attention back to her. "Do you want to color with me?" She wondered, giving me a hopeful look.

"Color?"

"Ness—" Bella began and I held up a hand.

"No, it's okay," I laughed a bit, "I don't mind a bit of coloring. But in exchange," I gave her a playful, serious look, "You'll have to promise me a tour around here."

She gave another happy bounce. "I promise! I'll show you my house first."

As she began to lead me away, Edward leaned toward me to murmur in my ear. "Just be careful – she might end up wanting to keep you for herself. She's a feisty little thing."

"Duly noted." I exchanged a grin with him before allowing myself to be dragged away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note -** Surprise! I decided to post another chapter today. I had a ton of inspiration and felt like it'd be a good idea to post while I had it! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Things are slowly but surely picking up~

Also - a question for you guys. I experimented a bit in this chapter. I want to know if you guys enjoy it being in solely Percy's point of view or would you also enjoy a different perspective to see what the others are thinking about him? Feel free to give me your feedback on this!

* * *

 **Through the Mist**

 _Chapter Three_

By the time Bella and Edward joined us in their cottage, Nessie and I were in the middle of an intense coloring session. As promised, she had shown me around her house a bit, and it was a really nice place. Not as big as the main Cullen household, but very cozy. Nessie had picked out a page for me to color – a picture of the ocean – which made me chuckle just a bit. _You smell like the ocean and you like the ocean so I picked out that one for you._ She had explained when I asked about it. There was that word again. Smell. I guess even humans could smell the ocean on me if they took a close, and good whiff, but in Nessie's case it almost seemed like she could sense it even from a distance.

"Hard at work, I see." The familiar voice of Edward made me pause as he and Bella walked into their living room with us.

"I gave Percy the ocean one 'cause he said he liked the ocean." Nessie grinned – she was hard at work coloring a wolf.

I leaned over to admire it – its fur a russet-brown color. "That looks really nice, Ness."

She smiled, setting down her brown crayon and picking up a blue one as she started coloring in the sky. "Your fishes look cool too!"

I had unconsciously colored one of the fish gold. "Thanks. I used to have a goldfish called Frank so I decided to add him in."

"Frank?" She giggled softly. "That's a weird name for a fish."

I laughed under my breath. Frank would be shaking my shoulders right now if he knew I just claimed him as my pet. "I thought something like Goldie would be too lame."

"By the way, Percy," Bella spoke, diverting my attention back to her and Edward, "wasn't your step-dad and mom coming to visit today too?"

"No. I guess Charlie messaged my mom and they decided to go with him to tour the town."

"Oh," She frowned a bit, "I'm sorry. You said you wanted to look around a bit. If we'd know that my dad was giving a tour, we would have let you go with them."

I simply smiled. "Nah – it's fine. Sides, I got a chance to look around a bit already when I drove here and got somewhat lost."

"There's plenty to show here too!" Nessie added. "I still need to show you grandpa and grandma's house." The coloring session seemed to be temporarily forgotten now as she grasped my hand lightly. "I can show you now if you want."

I rolled up onto my feet, giving a stretch. "Sure. Have admit that I'm a bit curious of how looks like inside."

Bella and Edward tagged along with us and Nessie was chatting excitedly to them about what part of the house she wanted to show me first. It was a bit hard to believe that just the other day I had a bad feeling about this lot. There was still _something_ there and I couldn't really put a finger on it, but it wasn't as in my face as it originally was. It was still making me curious, though. My thoughts were put on hold as we reached the back door of Carlisle's house and when I followed Nessie in, I just found myself staring. It was as beautiful as it was on the outside. The décor was mostly antiques, giving it an old fashioned air, but it still seemed updated and in the times as well – timeless. "Wow." I managed to say, stepping in further, and in the corner of my eye I saw Alice appear around the corner. She was grinning at my awed expression.

"Nice, isn't it? It's been in the family for a long time~"

"It's awesome," I agreed, "And huge. I'm surprised there wasn't enough space for Edward, Bella, and Ness."

"Technically there probably could have been," Alice mused thoughtfully, "Had we made a few changes, but I think the cottage suits them." I couldn't argue with that. The cottage had been just as impressive.

As I started to explore further, I began to smell something that suspiciously smelled like pasta. "Is something cooking?" I wondered, my exploration ending up in the kitchen where Esme was working.

When she spotted me, she gave me a smile. "Hello! I thought you'd eventually be hungry soon, so I've been making some lunch."

"It smells delicious." As if in agreement, my stomach growled loudly, causing me to blush a bit when she chuckled. "Yeah, I might be a bit hungry." I gave a sheepish grin. Leaving her to concentrate on lunch, I wandered back into the room where Nessie and the others were – only to see that Edward had a sour look upon his face. "What's up?" I asked, frowning. So far the guy had seemed pretty chill, but now he seemed almost upset.

"Just an inconvenience." He muttered under his breath.

Nessie huffed. "Jake isn't an inconvenience."

"Who's Jake?" I wondered curiously.

"Nothing," Edward brushed aside the question, "I'll deal with it for now. Nessie, why you show Percy the rest of the house?"

Nessie was pouting, but she complied, taking my hand once more to lead me off into one of the other rooms. As she did so, however, I managed to glance outside the window and caught sight of Edward approaching a figure that was emerging from the woods – it was some guy with no shirt on. His arms were folded and he looked equally irritated as Edward came closer. That was all I was able to see, though, and my attention went back to Nessie's tour.

* * *

 **Jacob Black**

* * *

As soon as Jake stepped on the Cullens' property, he knew something smelled off. The smell was faint, but it still made him suspicious. He also didn't miss that the Cullens had a strange vehicle in their lot. "Hmph." He grumbled, watching as Edward approached him. "I didn't think you guys were really ones to have too many visitors."

"Bella's cousin is visiting," Edward stated, his tone neutral, "We thought that it might be best if you come by once he leaves."

"He smells strange." Jake turned up his nose a bit. "Not bad like you lot… just off."

"You've notice it too?" Edward frowned at that. "I'm not able to read his thoughts too well – I thought maybe it's just something that runs in Bella's family, but I'm not so sure. When Bella was human she _smelled_ normal."

Jake hummed, the suspicion still gleaming in his eyes. "Is it okay for him to be with Nessie?"

Edward smiled a bit. "I don't think he's dangerous. Even Jasper mentioned to me that he felt as if Percy didn't have an evil bone in his body. As for myself, I'm still wary, but he does seem kind."

The werewolf seemed to relax a bit upon hearing that. _I guess it's okay. Besides, even if he was dangerous there would be no way that the rest of the Cullens would let him hurt her._ "I guess I'll come back around when he's gone." Jake shrugged a bit. He wasn't really in the mood to introduce himself to a stranger – even if this stranger made him curious. Without waiting for Edward's response, Jake disappeared back into the woods, shifting back into a wolf with ease. He was greeted with a chorus of hellos from his pack mates, and chuffed a soft laugh when Leah's irritation hit him in waves.

 _Where did you go? I thought we were going on a patrol together._ Her voice sounded closer than the others and he rumbled in amusement.

 _I thought I'd swing by and see Nessie, but someone is visiting right now._

 _Bella's cousin?_ Seth questioned, seeming confused, _I didn't know she had a cousin nearby._

 _Maybe they're just visiting._ Embry mused – somewhere Quil hummed in agreement. _But what's this about him smelling strange? I don't think I've ever smelled something like that._

 _Yeah, it doesn't make my nose wrinkle like those bloodsuckers,_ Leah agreed, a bit puzzled, _But it still doesn't seem right._

 _Do you think he's dangerous?_ Seth whined a bit nervously.

 _I don't know,_ Jake admitted, _The Cullens don't think he is, but Edward did mention that he can't read the guy's thoughts very well._

 _Tsch. Why don't we just ask him?_ Leah huffed, _Saves us the trouble of doing the whole Twenty Questions game._ Some of the other voices murmured in agreement to her statement. She suddenly appeared at his side, matching his pace easily as the two of them trotted down the narrow trail together. Her eyes met with his. _I can be curious too, you know._

Jake gave her a wolf-y grin. _I know. I'm curious too. But how about we leave it for now and question the Cullens later._

Leah rolled her eyes, but dipped her head in a nod. _Fine. But you still owe me a patrol. Try to keep up, O fearless leader._ With that she darted off - Jake hot on her heels as they disappeared further into the forest.

* * *

 **Percy Jackson**

* * *

Esme was an amazing cook.

None of the others seemed too interesting in eating – they probably already had lunch, but that was fine with me because the food tasted wonderful. It was just spaghetti, but whatever recipe Esme did it made it taste as if it was from some high classed restaurant. "There's some garlic bread too if you'd like some, Percy." Esme set a basket full of garlic bread in front of me.

"Thanks." I quickly plucked one of the slices out of the basket. I glanced at the others. "Are you sure you guys don't want any? No offense, but I'm definitely not going to be able to eat all of this."

"Oh we're fine," Esme smiled at me, "I was actually thinking you could bring back some for your mother and stepfather – if that's okay."

"Yeah! They'd love this." I took another bite.

Once I finished up, I made my way out to their living room, settling down on their couch. The day was really flying by and I was surprised that it was already a little past two in the afternoon. _I wonder what Paul and Mom are up to._ I kind of had a feeling that Charlie was the type of guy that would show them around and maybe they'd head out to eat and then go back to his place, but I wasn't sure. I just hope they were having a good time – I knew how it was to suddenly find out the existence of a half-brother. Though in this case, at least Charlie wasn't a Cyclops – not that Tyson was bad, but one Cyclops in the family was enough. "Percy?"

"Hmm?" I blinked, looking over to his right. Nessie was sitting next to him with a smile.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

I nearly choked, and I heard Emmett's muffled laughter in one of the other rooms.

"Nessie." Bella tsked, but there was smile upon her face.

"What~? I'm just curious." Nessie shrugged.

"Well uh," I tried not to stutter – I could almost see Annabeth's smug look, for some reason she always enjoyed it when I was caught off guard like this. "Yes I do. Her name is Annabeth."

"That's a pretty name. Do you think I'll be able to meet her?"

"I'm not sure," I replied, rubbing my chin thoughtfully, "She's really busy too – she's going to go to college with me and I don't know if she's wanting to travel across the country right now." I gave her an apologic smile, "Maybe someday, though." As I replied to her question, I realized then that throughout my entire visit so far I haven't really done any investigating myself. Peering around the room, my eyes were drawn in by just how many antiques were surrounding me. "So do you guys collect old stuff? Some of these things look ancient."

Seeming to realize the questioning was falling into their ball park, some of the Cullens were sitting up a bit straighter – Carlisle took the lead. "Yes. I like collecting antiques. Most of the time, I have to restore them so it's evolved into a hobby of mine."

"That's really cool," I found myself wandering over to a display that had a pocket watch on it, I didn't touch it, but it looked very old, "You said the house was in your family for a long time as well. How long is long?"

"Hmm," Carlisle mused, "It's no younger than a century old, if that answers your question."

"Really?" I couldn't help but be a bit surprised. "I didn't think it'd be that old. It looks really modern and nice." Somehow I could see it being an older house, though. There were some parts where Nessie showed me that looked much older than other parts – it was really nice blend in between. Turning my attention back to the antiques, I gazed at them for a few moments longer. There was another thing that was on my mind that was bugging me, but I wasn't sure if I should bring it up or not. It was about the individual that had showed up earlier. Edward had seemed a bit annoyed about his appearance, and I was curious of who it was. After a moment of debate, I finally decided it wouldn't hurt to ask. "So. Who was that guy from earlier?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "I caught a look of him briefly – Jake was it?"

Edward's face turned a bit sour, and Bella frowned a bit. "Just a friend." Edward grumbled.

 _Yeah right, you looked like you wanted to deck the guy._ I wanted to say, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Nessie didn't seem too happy about her father's reaction. Her arms were folded and she clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Jake _is_ a friend. I don't know why you didn't let him come in. He could have met Percy."

"I'm not sure if that would have been a good idea." Edward murmured to her. "Maybe some other time, though." He added, seeing her disappointment. "I just thought Percy would like to get to know everyone here first before introducing him to other people."

When evening hit, I could hardly believe that it was already that late. Talking with the Cullens had been really nice. I liked them all, but Jasper was probably the one I liked most – other than Nessie, and maybe Esme and Carlisle. Whenever I was around the guy, I felt at ease. He seemed a bit quieter than the rest, but when he did talk, it was nice sitting back and listening to him. Emmett seemed like a fun guy as well – he still had the hint of mischief that reminded me of the Stolls, but I don't think anyone could be as bad as them, so I'd probably be okay with letting my guard down a bit. "Do you really have to go?" Nessie frowned, "You could always spend the night! We have a spare room."

I snickered. "It's not like you won't see me again – I think my mom and Paul wanted to spend some time yet tonight."

That seemed to bring her down a bit, but she finally returned the smile. "Okay! Just promise to come back soon!"

"I promise." I waved to her before heading towards the car. As I reached the driver's door, I paused, gazing over towards the woods. I wasn't sure what caught my attention in the first place, but the hairs upon the back of my neck were standing. I felt a bit on edge – almost as if something was gazing at me through the brush. Before I even had a chance to wrap my hand around Riptide, though, the sensation was gone as quickly as it came. _Weird._ There were no signs of movement, but something had definitely been there. Trying to relax again, I opened the door and started up the car.

Even if the feeling was gone, it still almost felt as if though there was a pair of eyes watching me as I drove away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note -** As I mentioned in my last chapter, I've been hit with a wave of inspiration lately and honestly these last few days I've just been feeling the need to write. So here is yet another chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. I'll be taking a short break after this just to collect my notes for this story and my thoughts so I know where I'm going with it, but so far I'm really having fun writing it!

So far Percy is fairly clueless of what's going on - but someone else might have found out something rather shocking~ (My finger might have slipped a bit on this one - oops.)

* * *

 **Through the Mist**

 _Chapter Four_

 **Leah Clearwater.**

 _No, no, no._

This was _so_ not happening to her – it couldn't be. Not for some _stranger._ Just what exactly was nature thinking – there was no way in _hell_ that it could be true. _It has to be some sort of fluke – because no offense to_ him _I don't even know the guy._ For all she knew, he might already be engaged and already has future plans. She promised herself that she'd never do it again – not as long as she lived. Not after what happened between her and her last romantic interest. The memory of it made her bare her teeth a bit and shake her head – trying to chase any further thoughts of that ordeal behind her. _Stop thinking about that. I need to focus on what's happening right now._ She knew that no matter how much she was denying it, the feeling wouldn't just go away.

It all started when _he_ walked out of the Cullens' home.

Jake and her had finished their route a bit earlier than expected so she decided to accompany him as they looped back to the Cullens. She still didn't like to approach their home too closely if she didn't have to, so she made to the choice to hang back as Jake circled towards the back to change and visit Nessie. She was about to head off when she caught sight of their mysterious visitor. She felt her head tilt a bit with curiosity as she watched him. He was facing away, but from the side she could tell that there was a light smile upon his face as he listened to Nessie. She didn't pick up much of the conversation, but she was able to hear what his name was. Percy.

He appeared to be a bit younger than her, and in spite of the strange smell coming off of him, he seemed pretty normal as well. As he turned to make his way towards his vehicle, she dipped further into the brush, watching as he reached for the driver's door – only to hesitate for a moment.

And his eyes rose upon to the very place where she was hiding.

It was all she could do to keep her fur from bristling. It almost felt as if he knew exactly where her eyes were and that's when it happened. They seemed to lock gazes for a moment and before her lip could curl up in a growl, she felt as if the earth was shifting underneath her feet. For a moment she almost felt as if she was weightless – as if gravity itself decided to turn off – and suddenly she was grounded.

But it wasn't gravity that had grounded her again.

 _It was him._

It felt almost as if though an iron cable had sprung out and attached itself from her to him and she knew exactly what had just happened – even though she still couldn't wrap her mind around just yet.

She, _Leah Clearwater_ , had just imprinted.

 _God, Jake is going to be laughing his head off when he finds out._ She sighed softly.

* * *

 **Percy Jackson.**

* * *

The following night after my visit with the Cullens had been a bit of a strange one – not when I first arrived back, I just spent most of the night with Paul and my mom. We all decided to go out dinner together and it was really fun and relaxing. The strange part was when I fell asleep that night and my mind decided to take a trip down to dreamland. Normally this wouldn't have really surprised me – I usually counted my lucky stars when I _didn't_ take a trip down that road, but this dream felt a bit different than the ones I normally received. First of all, somehow I was a wolf. I didn't really know how or why I was, just that I _was_ and for some reason I was running along a river. At some point, my dream self halted and gazed out on to the water. _Well at least I'm a handsome wolf._ I mused as I stared at my reflection – a dark wolf with sea-green eyes stared right back at me. To be honest, I half expected Lupa to suddenly appear from the brush and address me. This seemed like an appropriate setting for her. It's been awhile since I've seen the wolf goddess, but maybe she had something to say to me. Glancing about, though, I didn't catch any sight of her red fur anywhere.

Uttering a soft sigh, I turned, nearly bumping my nose with another wolf in the process. Her fur was gray – I'm not sure how I knew it was her – and appeared to look very smooth and soft. Her gaze seemed to gleam a bit in amusement, and with a playful nip to my ear, she raced past me and darted off. The urge to run after her was overwhelming, so I chased her. For some reason, though, not matter how fast I ran, I couldn't keep up with her, and I lost sight of her through the growing mist. Slowing to a stop, I tried to search around, but it was almost impossible to tell now where she had went.

 _Percy._

A soft voice whispered, causing my ears to twitch and look around.

 _Percy wake up._

Something shook me, startling me awake. The smell of mist and pine was still in the air, and I groaned a bit as sunlight hit my eyes. "Ow."

My mom was standing over me and giving me an apologetic smile. "Sorry. It's a bit early, I know, but you were muttering and tossing in your sleep."

I yawned, checking the time briefly as I sat up. Seven thirty in the morning – groan. "I was just having a dream." I stretched, grimacing a bit at the stiffness in my shoulders.

Out of most of the normal people in my life, my mom knew exactly what it meant when demigods had dreams. Normally they weren't just the normal kind of dream where you somehow end up naked in front of your class – that'd be welcomed, actually. Dreams meant prophecies – danger, and possible death – so I could understand a bit when I saw the growing look of concern upon her face. "Is everything okay?"

"I think so," I rubbed a hand slowly over my face, "I don't think it was one of _those_ dreams, but it was definitely weird."

"I wish they would leave you alone, sometimes." My mom muttered, causing me to glance up in surprise. A look of frustration had overcome her expression. "I understand that sometimes it can't be helped, but out of all the times they could bother you – they choose right now."

"Relax," I took her hand gently, giving her a smile, "Like I said, it felt like a different dream to me so I don't know if it even met anything. As for their timing… yeah, I can't disagree with that. They suck."

Mom seemed to settle a bit down after that. I was a bit surprise that her temper had flared a bit, she was usually always calm and collected with all the godly business I dealt with, but I guess she couldn't really help it. She only had two months to go before my sister arrived, and her moods have been affected a bit during the while. "Anyway, I'm going to relax a bit in the hotel today," She told me with a light smile, "I'm a bit tired, but I thought that maybe you and Paul could go out to town for a bit. I know that you've been wanting to look around and now that Charlie gave us a tour, Paul said he'd be fine taking you out for a bit."

It was still a bit strange considering Paul as anyone but, well, Paul.

"Stepfather" was the correct term, but whenever I thought of "father" I thought of tridents and the ocean. Poseidon. I definitely didn't have anything against Paul, though. He was a really cool guy and he was who my mother deserved one hundred percent in comparison of that idiot Smelly Gabe. There were times that I still couldn't believe that Mom went through that just for me and it just made me love her even more. Gabe had been a slob and so awful to her – and in my opinion the dude had gotten off lightly when she had turned him into stone. "Do you want to stop here, Perce?" Paul's question made me blink, and I suddenly realized that we were already in the middle of Forks.

"Oh. Yeah, that's fine." I peered out the window as he parked, taking in all the small shops around us. It definitely had a very "small town-y" feel to it. As I stepped out, I could already feel curious eyes upon us.

"Your Charlie's brother-in-law, right?" One of the guys approached us – he was in a wheelchair and he gave Paul's hand a good firm shake. "I heard you visited the town yesterday, but I hadn't made it up here until today. My name is Billy Black. I'm one of Charlie's best friends."

"Paul Blofis, nice to meet you." Paul seemed a bit surprised that the news of our arrival had traveled quickly, but it wasn't too surprising. Word like this probably burned like a wild fire – not to mention that Charlie was the sheriff of this place. That probably was the source as to why it was going around as quick as it was.

I was gazing through one of the display windows of the town's shops. It was a bakery and a bunch of desserts had been carefully arranged in the window – one of them being a fairly large blue cake. It took me a moment to realize that the conversation behind me had grown quiet, and I glanced over my shoulder. Both Paul's and Billy's eyes were on me – and they both appeared to be a bit amused. "Oh. Did you say something?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed that I'd been practically drooling over the cake.

Paul waved me over with a grin. "I just wanted to introduce you too."

I walked over, giving Billy's hand a shake. "Sorry about that," I apologized, grinning myself, "Percy's the name." I've grown accustomed to not tagging my last name along with introductions unless if necessary. There were just too many "people" who'd recognize who I am if they were ever in earshot. It was something that Annabeth had mentioned to me, and I had to agree with her. There had been multiple occasions where I'd introduced myself as such and almost got killed afterwards. I wasn't the most popular amongst monsters.

"It's nice to meet you, Percy," Billy's eyes met with mine, almost as if they were searching for something, "It must be a bit of a shock to suddenly find out that you have relatives here."

I laughed a bit at that. "Yeah, it was. But they all seem nice. It's been fun getting to know everyone so far."

"Bella's girl seems to have definitely taking a liking to you," Paul teased lightly, "She was quick to attach herself to your hip."

"Did you go up and visit the Cullens then?" I couldn't tell if Billy was pleased or not about that fact.

"Only for a bit," I shrugged, "Nessie really wanted me to visit – and to be honest I'm kind of glad I did. They have a really nice place there." _Though the forest was a bit creepy around there at night._ I wanted to add. I still felt some shivers from the other night from the feeling of being watched. It hadn't felt too menacing, but I knew by experience that things like that could be deceiving. "Anyway, you said you're just visiting town, right? Does that mean you live somewhere else nearby?"

Billy seemed to relax just a bit at the change of subject and offered me a smile. "Yes. I live down on the reservation – La Push. You're welcome to come over sometime if you'd like. We're having a bonfire out near the water soon if you're interested in that sort of thing." I was definitely interested in that sort of thing. Being out near the Pacific would be nice – I'm used to the Atlantic waters, but there haven't been many cases of me being able to visit the Pacific too much. Plus – the thought of bonfires made me think of my home back at Half-Blood.

"Maybe I could," I turned my head towards Paul, "The only thing is I wouldn't really know anyone there – and I'd probably get lost." I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck.

"It's up to you, so don't feel pressured to go," Billy's eyes crinkled up in amusement, "I think you'll like it though, if you do. There'd be others around your age there."

After a brief farewell, Billy left us to our exploration, and I felt myself briefly troubled by the man's sudden appearance. Something felt off with him too – maybe it was just this whole town. Or maybe I was just remembering the last time I met someone who was in a wheelchair. Somehow I doubted that Billy was going to sprout the back end of a horse, but still – when he had looked at me in that brief moment, it had almost felt like was looking straight through me; confirming something. "This town is weird." I mumbled under my breath, causing Paul to "hmm?" as we walked through a bookstore. I shook my head, "Nothing. Just thinking. How long are we staying, by the way?"

"I'm not sure yet," Paul replied thoughtfully, flipping through a book slowly, "As long as your mother wants, I suppose. You thinking about going out to La Push to that bonfire? If you do want to go, I wouldn't mind taking you. Ah here we go." He plucked out a heavy dictionary and then set it in my hands.

"What's this?"

"A dictionary."

I tried not to roll my eyes. "I know, but why? You have like hundreds these."

"Probably," I found it a bit funny that he didn't even deny it, "But that one's for you. I heard you were still have a bit of trouble with English, so I thought it'd help."

I sighed. "Paul – even if I could read well I don't think flipping through an entire dictionary would help me."

"True – but look at the title." He pointed down and I looked. It was an English to Greek dictionary, causing to blink a bit in surprise when I was actually able to read it clearly. "I heard you mention that you could read Greek plain as day, so I thought _maybe_ it'd help you if you had the Greek definition and English definition together." He seemed so satisfied with his solution that I didn't even want to mention that a dictionary like this wouldn't be of much use in everyday life. There'd still be moments when I walk outside and wouldn't be able to read signs and things like that. However, it was still a nice thought.

"Thanks, Paul." I opened it, turning through some of the pages. "Are you sure, though? It's a bit expensive…" It was also fairly heavy. I could probably use it as a weapon if I wanted to.

He patted me on the back. "A bit of money isn't going to hurt – teaching English is what I do."

By the time we checked out, I was surprised that Paul only had three other books in tow. He was a bookworm at heart, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he would have bought out the whole store. "I've been reading books about Greek mythology lately," He showed me one of the books he had picked out, it had some sort of version of Zeus on its cover and I almost paled a bit when I noticed he was wearing nothing but a loincloth. The title of the book was "Greek Anthology" and honestly just that picture on the cover made me afraid to open it.

"Um."

"And then I got this one," Paul continued on excitedly, putting that book back in his bag to pull out another, "This one is actually fiction and I thought it sounded interesting. It's about the twelve Olympians being reincarnated every thousand years – it's set in modern day and it follows the life of the new Persephone as she discovers that she's a goddess and then she ends up meeting a dark fellow by the name of Cam – I suppose he's Hades. It's a romance. A typical Young Adult fiction, I'll admit, but still intriguing."

I snickered a bit. "Picturing Hades as the bad boy is a bit scary to be honest. Not to mention, I'm not sure how much Persephone would appreciate being the typical ah "heroine in distress" character. Demeter would probably have a fit too if she caught wind of that book. She hates the story of her daughter and Hades with a passion. Even if it's just a retelling."

Paul paled a bit at that. "You don't think she'll come after me for it?"

"Nah." I smirked. "Me? Maybe, but she doesn't really pay attention to humans unless if they annoy her."

He sighed a bit in relief, causing me to chuckle some more. We visited a few more shops after the bookstore – our last stop being a candy shop. My mom was craving chocolate, so I let Paul sweep through the shop in search of her favorites while I sat outside of the store on a bench nearby.

I was flipping through the Greek-English dictionary, when suddenly I was joined by someone else who took the liberty of sitting right next to me on the bench. "Doing some light reading, Jackson?" The figure leaned over a bit to get a better view of the page I was on, and I sighed a bit – instantly recognizing their presence and voice.

"Hermes."

"Don't sound too excited, Jackson," Hermes grinned as I glanced up, "Some people might get the wrong idea."

I almost sighed again. "What do you want? I'm on vacation." I reminded with great emphasis. I assumed by now most of Olympus knew that I was. At some point, my life had become a bit of a reality show to them.

"No worries, I'm not here to interrupt, well not entirely, – I had some business to attend to nearby and decided to check in when I saw you."

" _Does he have a rat this time?"_ The familiar voice of George asked, sounding hopeful as the snake stirred.

" _Of course he doesn't, you fool,"_ Martha replied with a hiss, _"People don't just carry rats wherever they go, you know."_

" _Why ever not?"_

Martha sighed – or at least I thought she did, she was a snake after all, and she looked up at me. _"It's nice seeing you again, Percy."_

"You too, Martha – and George." I wasn't lying either – snakes were all right, but I didn't particularly like them. These two were okay, though.

I still wasn't convinced that Hermes was _only_ here to do business, though. It seemed a bit too convenient that he was "just in the area" and that location so happened to be right by the very place I was. Forks was literally a speck on the map, after all. "So why are you really here, Hermes?" I wondered, not masking my suspicion. Hermes was also one of the busiest gods in Olympus I knew, so I really did find it a bit hard to believe that he was just dropping by for a good ole friendly chat.

Hermes rubbed his chin slowly, as if pondering if he should say something or not. "I wasn't lying about having a job to tend to nearby, but I'll admit that you're only part of the reason that I decided to swing by here." He finally mused, "There's something odd about this place." He turned his gaze slowly toward me. "You've probably already noticed, yes?"

I nodded. No point in denying that.

"Good, so that takes care of half the explanation," He gave me a pat on the shoulder, "I know that you're on vacation, Jackson, but I have a job for you—ah, don't make that face," He smirked, "It's a simple job. I'm afraid it's not only me who's curious – otherwise I'd leave you to it, but I was merely sent to you to deliver this message. I do hope you enjoy a bit of sleuthing."

 _Of course._ I rubbed my temples a bit. "Fine. I'll try and check things out. I can't guarantee I'll find anything though. So tell," I made vague gesture with my hand, "Whoever, I guess, that I may or may not get any results."

"Sounds fair enough." He chuckled lightly, standing up from the bench. "Anyways, I'm off. I'll be seeing you later, Perseus." Martha and George echoed his farewell, and almost as abruptly as he came, Hermes was gone and per the usual I was left with yet again another side quest.

 _Why is it always me?_ I grumbled up towards the sky. Naturally the only response I received back from it were a few clouds drifting by.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait everyone! I appreciate your patience. It took a bit longer than I an anticipated to post this out due to falling ill, but finally I've been able to sit down and finish writing the next chapter. I wanted to thank everyone for their support and I hope you continue to enjoy this story! Enjoy!

 **P.S.** I know that some of you are probably craving to know what will happen with the whole Percy/Annabeth/Leah complex, and I promise things will become clearer soon. This chapter doesn't have that much Leah and Percy interaction, I'm afraid, but next chapter you can look forward to it!

* * *

 **Percy Jackson**

* * *

There was once a time where I've said I've never asked to be a demigod, but over time that sort of perspective changed for me. Yeah, there have always been moments where I'd look at those who live out their lives normally – wishing that'd be me. I'd often long for a life that would have lead me to Annabeth and we'd live our lives normally together, but no matter how much you wish for your life to be different, it's all that you get. While you probably won't ever hear me say this ever again, being a demigod can be pretty freaking cool too – when you're not dying a horrible death, of course. "So yeah. That pretty much sums up what's been happening here so far." I sighed, gazing through the Iris Message. Annabeth was on the other side with a thoughtful expression.

"And Hermes didn't say anything else?"

"Nah. I think he's pretty much in the dark like I am. Though he did say he had business in the area. Not sure if that even relates."

Annabeth just shrugged. "Maybe." She gave me look of concern. "Just be careful. We won't be able to send you back up if something does happen. Not in time, that its."

"Don't worry. I'm always careful." I grinned and she just rolled her eyes. After a while, we said our goodbyes and I ended the IM with her. I was back to trying to decide where I wanted to start. La Push seemed like my best bet for now. I wasn't too sure of what I'd find there, but I had a hunch that Billy Black knew more than he let on. Plus the bonfire would give me a good opportunity to ask around – even if all I get is local ghost stories or whatever. I might still get a lead. My mom seemed really happy when I asked her and Paul for a ride out there.

"I know you have plenty of friends back at home, but I think it'll be really good for you to make a few friends outside of the craziness." Mom was saying while on the road. I made the choice not to mention that depending on what I found, the people here may not be as normal as we think.

"Are you and Paul sticking around when we get there? I heard there will be plenty of food."

"We might come back a bit earlier to enjoy the bonfire and maybe some dinner too, but Paul and I have a few other things planned today. I hope that's okay." She smiled back at me.

I yawned. "Yeah that's totally okay." I was secretly a bit relieved. I did want to spend as much time as I could with them, but I didn't want to drag them into this either. Not when we were all supposed to be on vacation. I'd hate to worry them.

When we arrived, I was surprised to see how many people were already there this early. I was pretty sure that it didn't officially start until an hour from now. "We'll see you soon," My mom waved at me through the window as I stepped out, "Just call if you need anything."

"Don't worry. Just have fun." I returned the wave as they drove off.

During the exchange, I noticed a familiar figure approaching. Billy Black smiled as he stopped in front of me. "Nice to see you again, Percy. We're still setting up, but you're free to go around and meet everyone."

"I don't mind helping either if you'd like me to." I glanced around, noticing a few setting chairs around a fire pit and others putting tables up.

"Don't mind if you do," Billy chuckled, "I'm sure it'll be appreciated. In the meantime, the kitchen needs its official taste tester." He claimed, the mischievous look in his eyes making me snicker a bit as he rolled off.

I wasn't really sure where to start, but after a moment's hesitation, I wandered over towards a younger looking guy. At my approach, he gazed at me curiously before a flash of recognition lit in his eyes. Geez, word traveled almost too quickly here. Did they already know who I was here too?

The guy gave me a cheerful wave. "Hey there. You're Percy, right?" That answered that question. "I heard from Billy that you might come." He set down the chair was holding. "I'm Seth." He eagerly shook my hand, "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Finally?" I frowned.

"Well yeah," His laugh sounded a bit nervous, "Charlie's well known in this area so we've all been kind of excited when we heard his family was visiting."

I felt like there was a bit more to that, but I decided not to press for now. "Man, I feel like news travels like a forest fire here." I sighed, but smiled. If I thought about it though, back at Camp Half Blood news traveled just as quickly too. So technically, I was sort of used to it. "Anyway, do you guys need any help?"

"Actually we're almost done." Seth patted my shoulder, "But let me introduce you to some of the guys while we're at it. Yo, Quil, Embry." He motioned two of the others over. "This is Percy. Charlie's nephew." Lie Seth, a spark of recognition sparked in their eyes.

"Nice to meet you." Quil gave my hand a nice shake and Embry echoed him. "New York, right?" He gazed at me curiously.

"Yep – Manhattan to be exact."

"Man, that's really far from us. How did you even connect with Charlie?" He wondered. All three of them seemed to be intrigued by that detail.

I shrugged. "Honestly, that's a good question. My mom was the one who ended up tracking him down. She never really told me how she did it."

"Hey, you three slackers," A new voice suddenly interrupted us, "Just because Jake isn't here doesn't mean you guys can just chill out while the rest of us work." The new arrival approached, pausing when he saw me.

Seth grinned. "Sorry Jared. I was just introducing Percy around."

"Charlie's nephew?" Jared tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over me.

"That's me." I was just going to assume that everyone here knew me. Something did click with me, though. The guy said something about a guy called Jake. I wasn't sure if it was even related to the person that Nessie wanted me to meet, but it could be. In the brief moment I had seen him, he did look similar to the guys around here.

Jared nodded. "Nice that you could make it. I'll let Seth continue with showing you around, but I'm borrowing these two back," He smirked, grabbing both Quil and Embry by their collars in spite of their protests. "See you around."

As we watched them being dragged off, Seth turned to me. "I wanted to introduce you to my sister, but I don't think she's back yet. I think you'll like her though." There seemed to be a playful gleam in his eyes. "But for now, I'll just show you around."

He was a pretty good tour guide, but I knew there would be no way that I'd remember everyone he introduced me to. There were quite a few people here – more so guys than girls and the brief image of the Hunters and Amazons came to my mind. I'm not sure why – I guess I was always used to groups that were made up of primarily girls. As I went around with Seth, I heard several mentions of hunting as well. Artemis and her Hunters would probably have trouble getting along with this crew. _I wonder if she's aware of them._ I mused thoughtfully.

When the time came for the bonfire, I realized that they weren't joking about the food. They practically had a feast waiting for us. While I was stacking my plate, my shoulder bumped someone, almost causing them to spill their drink. "Watch it." The voice snapped, making me look up in surprise when I realized it was a girl's voice. The woman was turning to glare at me, but then her eyes widened a bit when she saw me.

"Sorry about that." I quickly apologized, "Kind of crowded around here." I smiled a bit sheepishly. This moment was sort of giving me dejavu of a time back at camp where I had bumped Clarisse during our lunch. Lucky for me, this girl didn't attempt to throw me over her shoulder like she had.

"No… it's okay." She hesitated. "You're his nephew, right? Charlie's?"

"Yeah. Percy's the name." I offered another smile. "You?"

"I'm Leah."

The two of us headed over to the bonfire after gathering up the rest of our food, and I subconsciously headed for Seth. He looked up as I approached ad gave me a wide grin when he noticed who was next to me. "Hey, sis. I see you've already met Percy." I didn't miss her sending him a brief scowl and it was hard not to smile a bit myself. Usually this sort of thing would bypass right over my head, but it was obvious enough even to me that he was looking to set me up with her. It wasn't that I didn't think she wasn't attractive or anything – she was – but it was hard to picture myself with anyone other than Annabeth. Maybe it'd be a good idea to hint in that I have a girlfriend.

"So do you guys do this sort of thing often?" I wondered, drawing the siblings' attention from each other. "Billy made it sound like it was something that happened annually."

Seth nodded, "Yeah, something like that. It's a bit of a tradition so to speak."

"Yeah? It's nice. I have a camp back at home that does a bonfire on a regular basis too." The small talk continued on for a bit longer, and for the most part it was just Seth who was doing the talking. Leah was quiet, but whenever I wasn't looking towards her, I could feel her gaze on me.

"Hey, did you guys hear?" Two younger guys were on the other Seth and their voices carried over to us. I didn't remember their names, but they were the only twins in the group. "There was another string of murders reported in a city nearby. All of them were women too. I heard things are getting pretty rough." One of them was saying as he took a long swing of his soda. "And get this – three of the victims had their blood drained. Just like last time – you know what I bet? I bet it's—"

The guy from earlier, Jared, suddenly appeared from behind the twins, bumping the one who was talking on the head and he leaned over, seeming to say something in the other's ear before walking away to the refreshments. _All of their blood drained._ I looked away from the twins, munching thoughtfully on my hotdog. _Could it be Empousa? I can't really see them going full out like this, though. The ones I've ran into have always been secretive and like to be under the radar. Plus they tend to only like guys…_

"You okay?"

Seth's voice drew me away from my thoughts. "Yeah I'm fine. What's this about murders?"

Leah and him exchanged a look and it was her who answered me. "For the past month there's been reports of people being killed out on the streets at night. They're never reported in the same place and there's never too many reports in the same city. Sometimes the killings will even stop for a bit before they pick up once more – whoever the killer is, they're managing to keep a step ahead of the police."

My expression must of appeared a bit nervous without intending to because Seth gave my shoulder a pat, laughing. "Don't worry though. I doubt a serial killer would bother coming here. Every report is issued in a major city – this would probably be too small towny for their taste."

 _Definitely not an Empousa's style…but if not that, then what?_

* * *

 **?**

* * *

"Ugh. This place is such a hell hole." A figure leaned up against one of the alley's walls, head tipped back against the brick as he drew in a long drag of his cigarette. "Why do we even have to bother with sticking around? The area is clear."

"Because Fred told us so." A feminine voice answered further into the darkness.

The man uttered a sound of disgust, allowing the butt of his cigarette to fall to the ground before he stamped it out. "You're such a lap warmer now. It's all because of that Tanner – ever since he joined he's had all of you wrapped around his finger. Even Fred fucking worships the kid."

"You know Fred," The other voice answered, much more calmly, "He wouldn't have allowed him to join us if he felt as if he'd be a threat. You're being too shortsighted."

Clicking his tongue in disapproval, the man turned his head slightly to watch a few cars pass by. "I don't have anything against the kid when it comes down to it – but he has no place being Fred's second—"

"Jasmine, Jace." A new voice quieted them both quickly, and they watched as another boy stepped into view – his green gaze flashing briefly as the streetlights shone against them. "We'll be leaving soon. Fred said he had a few errands to run beforehand."

Cole Tanner wasn't much to look at on the outside. He was shorter than most his age, and appeared to be a bit plain. Upon closer inspection, however, one would find all the scars marring his body – the steel firmness of his muscles, and a hard glint in his eyes. Jace narrowed his eyes a bit, his nose flaring. "Where have you been? You reek."

"I was down in the sewers." Cole replied, leaning back against the wall across from him. "There were a couple who escaped down there from the earlier ambush."

"You went by yourself?" Jace curled his lip. "You should have told us. I hate your guts, but we were told to stick together."

Cole twirled a dagger absently in his hand for a moment before stopping it, pointing it towards Jace's chest. "I'm not here to make friends with you bloodsuckers. I only listen to Fred because he's the only one worth listening to."

"Fucking brat—" Jace hissed and a hand caught his shoulder before he could spring forward.

"Just let it go, Jace," Jasmine warned, tugging him back a bit more, "Does Fred want us to meet at the usual place?" She glanced towards Cole and the boy nodded. "Let's go, then. Kyle and Molly are probably already there." Keeping a firm grip on Jace, she walked past Cole who remained unmoved.

Once the two were out of sight, Cole put his dagger away, turning his head up towards the night sky. It was clear and the air was crisp. After a moment of quiet, he began to rummage around in his other pocket, he pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to a single picture of him standing next to a girl that looked quite similar to him.

 _Just a bit longer. I'll destroy them all._

 _For you._


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note -** Hello everyone! I finally was able to get chapter six of this story done. It took me a bit and I apologize for the wait! I wanted to mention that I've decided to make a posting schedule for myself to help encourage me to post more consistently. So if you're curious of when I'll be posting certain stories, feel free to check out my schedule on my profile! I'm also doing a poll at the moment as well, so if you'd like, go ahead and vote on that!

Also, I've noticed there was a bit of confusion about who Cole Tanner is, so I hope that this chapter helps clear that up a bit. Another thing I thought I'd mention in response of if he's a demigod, is no. He's not a demigod. He's actually a normal human. Hopefully things will make a bit more sense with this chapter regarding that.

Anyway, with that said, here's the sixth chapter! I know you guys have been eager for the plot to pick up in pace, so hope you enjoy! The action finally begins.

* * *

 **Cole Tanner**

 _8:00 AM_

" _You wait here, I'll go try to find something to eat."_

 _It was dark out – without the street lights and other various city lights, it would have been impossible to see. At the start of all this, it felt kind of stupid. A sixteen year old and a fourteen year old running away from home to try and live on their own. Even if their dad was abusive… living under an actual roof with actual food was a lot better than this. He had to admit that he had his doubts when they first set out and those doubts still lingered. Grabbing his sister's sleeve, he tugged her back into the alley they were in. In spite of her being older than him, he was a bit taller than her. "Bree. Are you sure this is a good idea? It's barely been three weeks and things aren't looking too good."_

" _It's better than being near him." Bree replied simply. He expected that'd be her answer, he wasn't really keen to return to their father either, but the nagging feeling still refused to go away. He felt like something awful was going to happen. "Now just wait here and stay low—I'll be back soon." She told him, disappearing around the corner of the alley without another word._

 _If only he'd gone with her that day—or stopped her from going. She had always been a shy person—not really one to try and draw focus to herself or anything. However, she was also very determined and worked hard. He wished he would have helped her more, but back then he hadn't known the first thing about living out on the streets._

 _He did now, of course, but it was too late._

 _She was gone._

"Cole."

A soft sigh escaped him, and he opened his eyes. He was laying out on one of the park benches, and he glanced over. A young blonde man stood above him, his expression slightly sympathetic. "You were thinking about her again, weren't you?"

Cole sat up, rubbing the back of his neck with a grimace. "Fred. Yeah, I guess. Are you and the others ready?"

The other glanced towards the sky—it was cloudy and almost looked as if it could rain. "We're almost ready. I wanted to take a moment to speak to you, though."

"Oh?"

"This is merely a suggestion, but I think we should give up on this operation," He turned his gaze back to Cole, "Going around and taking your revenge out on rogue vampires crawling through the city is one thing, but the Volturi are a completely different animal. Even the combined forces of that Olympic coven and werewolf pack over by Forks had trouble dealing with them—our scrawny coven wouldn't have the chance in the slightest." Fred narrowed his scarlet eyes. "And frankly, I don't want to put the others at risk. My coven is a safe haven, not an army."

Cole nodded slowly. "I understand. I won't make you guys fight if that's what you want… I just can't forgive them."

Fred sat down next to him, his eyes darkening a bit. "I can't forgive them either. However, I blame Victoria and Riley the most for dragging us into this world. If not for them, she would have been still alive and all of those newborns wouldn't have gone through that pain."

"Are you sure both of them are dead?" Cole's fist clenched slowly.

A smile lifted his companion's features. "Oh definitely. They've been dead for a while. Only three of us got out alive—myself and those two others I introduced to you a while back—Steve and Shelly."

"And they never thought to join up with you? I feel like having numbers would be a good idea."

Fred gave a shrug. "I did offer it to them. When we first crossed paths after the war, I made them an offer to join up with me. I told them that I was going around searching for those of our kind who may need help and a safe place, but they refused and I didn't see the need to force them to join something they didn't want to take part of."

"I'm not your kind."

A chuckle escaped the other. "No. But you're a special case—besides," A smirk edged at the corners of the vampire's lips. "Despite being completely human, you're one of the best fighters in the coven. Apart from Jace, of course. I'm still a bit impressed that the vampire hunting techniques you've read up on have actually worked so far." The blond stood, resting a hand on his shoulder, "Let's head out. The others are waiting."

* * *

 **Percy Jackson**

 _{Ten hours earlier.}_

There was a point during the night when Seth ended up leaving Leah and I to ourselves and for a while we just sort of sat in silence. Both of us had finished our meals, so that was one distraction we couldn't use. Personally, I've never really been much of a talker - no, never mind, - I did like to talk, I just never really liked leading the conversation. Usually I'd let the professionals handle that and I'd pitch in wherever it was needed. After feeling her gaze on me a few times, I decided to talk first. "I'm really glad Billy invited me. There's a bonfire that I go to back at home with my friends there so this kind of reminds me of that." I said, taking a sip of water.

Leah glanced over curiously and then her lips curled up a bit in amusement. "You don't have to force yourself to small talk with me if you don't want to. I'm fine with the quiet."

I blinked. "Oh, good. Wait - I mean, not good," I quickly corrected myself, "I just mean..."

She was already chuckling before I even had a chance to finish. "Don't worry. I know what you mean. Besides, the only reason why Seth left was because he was hoping there'd be a chance we'd end up hitting it off." I nearly choked on my drink at that, I've been doing that a lot lately, and I looked up at her, she was already staring at me - almost as if she was taking in my reaction. "But you already have a girlfriend."

"How...?"

"It's not that hard to guess," She shrugged, "You just seemed a bit uncomfortable whenever Seth tried to nudge us together."

It was a bit weird because I heard a hint of disappointment and sadness in her voice. At first I thought I was just imagining it... I mean, the two of us had only met after all, but when I glanced back at her, the disappointment was written on her face - as much as she was trying to hide it. A strange feeling began to creep through me after seeing her expression - it was an odd feeling mixed with guilt that tugged persistently at my gut and it almost felt as if a steel cord was trying to pull me close to her. In that brief moment, I saw a vision flash before my eyes - a vision of her and I sitting out in a meadow together. We weren't alone either. There were two boys running around chasing each other and before I could focus on their faces, a voice in my mind dissolved the vision.

 _Annabeth._ It was a firm whisper - almost sounding like my own voice, and I blinked, snapping out of my stupor.

As I came back to, Leah was giving me a look of concern. "Are you okay? You're pale."

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," I replied, though I didn't really feel fine - I actually felt a bit lightheaded, "I was just thinking. I do have a girlfriend, but I definitely don't mind being friends." I gave her a smile. I wasn't sure if the vision I just saw was real or not, but I couldn't help but feel a bit shaken. In that brief instant - it was as if all thoughts about Annabeth and the future we were planning had ceased to exist and suddenly Leah had filled that space.

I've experienced some very weird stuff before, but never that. Leah didn't seem evil at all, but I still had a weird sensation that she was responsible in some way. _Maybe she's some sort of monster I've never heard of. Maybe some sort of land walking siren..?_ It didn't feel like the vision involved any sort of charm speak, though. And honestly, she didn't really seem the type to do that.

"Friends sound good." The disappointment from before had left her expression, and she gave me a smile in return.

" _Percy!"_ My chair was nearly knocked over when someone suddenly ran up to me, hugging me tightly. "I'm so glad you're still here!"

"Nessie?" I bit back a grunt when she hugged me tighter – you would never guess it, but she had a strong grip. "I didn't expect to see you here."

She let go of me, giving me a beaming smile. "I only got here. I wanted to see Jake."

"Your friend from earlier?"

She gave a nod, grasping my hand. "I'd like him to meet you if that's okay. You don't have to get up though," She glanced towards Leah, offering her a smile as well. "It's nice to see you too, Leah."

Leah simply nodded and the two of us watched as she disappeared amongst the crowd once more. Once she was out of earshot, she turned her gaze back to me. "So how are you doing with all of this? It must be a bit shocking to find out that you've had family that you've never known about."

"It was a bit surprising," I admitted, but then I shrugged, "But I think I can get used to the idea. My mom seems to be happy."

"So as long as she is, you'll be." She guessed, another smile hinting at the corners of her mouth. "That's nice of you." She looked up suddenly and I followed her gaze. Nessie had returned with a guy in tow. He looked quite similar to the other guys I've seen around here and he glanced curiously between the two of us.

Nessie was the first to speak up. "This Jake – he's a close friend of mine. Jake this is my cousin, Percy."

I offered him a hand to shake – I felt like today has been nothing but handshakes and greetings. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Finally?" He frowned.

"I saw you briefly at the Cullens' place when visiting them. And Nessie told me a bit about you." I yawned, leaning back in my chair. "How's everyone back at home?" I scooted a bit to let Nessie sit up next to me.

"It's boring," She grumbled, "You should visit again, though!"

Part of me felt like this investigation wasn't going anywhere so far – and I wasn't sure how much longer we were going to stay either. The only thing that was somewhat suspicious was the mention of people getting murdered and having their blood sucked from them, but even if that was a rather large hint, it still wasn't enough. There was a light tap on my arm, and I glanced over to Nessie who was frowning up at me. "Are you okay? You're really quiet."

I nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking about what a few guys were talking about earlier. They were saying something about some sort of serial killer going around. I was just hoping that La Push and Forks will be okay."

"It's pretty safe here," Leah was the one who spoke up, her tone was a bit neutral, as if she was completely sure, "I heard about it on the news as well, and while they do sound fairly dangerous, I don't think they'll target someone like us."

I glanced at her in the corner of my eye. I wasn't as great at reading people as Annabeth was, but something did feel a bit off to me. Maybe I was just being a bit paranoid, but it almost seemed like everyone I was bumping into lately knew a bit more than they were letting on. Taking a last sip of my drink, I decided to test something out. "That's good to hear. From the sound of it, it almost seemed as if a bunch of vamps were on the loose – people can be really creepy sometimes."

 _Ah, that got a reaction out of them._ I could feel Nessie stiffen just a bit beside me, and Leah and Jake exchanged a brief look.

"Vamps?" Leah finally asked, sounding a bit wary.

"Yeah," I answered, shrugging a bit as I put on a puzzled look, "The story on the news said that the victims were being drained right? I didn't mean actual vamps or anything," I chuckled, "I just mean the method the killer was using."

All three of them seemed to relax a bit, and Leah smiled a touch. "Oh yeah, right. It is really gruesome." And the night continued after that.

I got my answer, though. There was definitely something going on with vampires, but I pretty sure that these vampires weren't the same vampires I was used to and I wasn't sure what their connection was to the people of La Push were, nor the Cullens... I am pretty sure that the Cullens are vampires themselves, I'd still have to dig a bit deeper, but just from that brief meeting of before I could sense something had been different about them. While I never was really fond of the gods popping in and out randomly, in that moment I sort of wished Hermes would. Maybe he'd make better sense of all this. "I'm gonna head over to the water and check it out. I haven't seen the Pacific in a long time." I stood, careful not to knock against Nessie as I stretched my arms. Being by the water should clear my head a bit.

I could feel them watching my back as I headed for the water's edge. The beach wasn't really want I was used to – there wasn't really much sand and it seemed a bit more pebbly and rocky. However, the familiar crash of the waves against the shore and the smell of salt was enough to ease the tension in my shoulders. It was dark out, so it was a bit hard to see the water itself clearly, but it was still nice.

 _Lord._

A quiet voice made me pause, and with a frown I looked around.

 _Down here, lord._

I squatted and finally found myself eye to eye to a small squid. It lifted one of its tentacles in what I assumed was a greeting. "Um, hi." It trended water as it moved up and down with the coming waves. I was used to random sea creatures coming up to me and talking to me, but I don't think I've ever spoken to a squid before.

It stared at me unblinkingly, not seeming to pay much mind to my awkward greeting. _Myself and some of the other creatures nearby noticed your presence here, lord. We were worried that you might not know of the dangers. You're far from home._

"Dangers?" I frowned, turning my head briefly to make sure no one was sneaking up behind me. It'd be a bit hard to explain why I was talking to a squid.

 _Yes. It's dangerous here. I've never seen them myself, but I've heard the orcas speak of large wolves hunting along these shores._

"Wolves?" I titled my head. "I don't think I'm in much danger then. I don't think wolves would approach humans."

One of the squid's other tentacles flicked, almost as if it was dismissing my words. _I thought so too, lord. I don't know much about wolves._ There was an unspoken "I'm just a squid" at the end of that sentence, and it was hard not to smile a bit, _But the way the orcas spoke of them it made it sound like_ they _were scared,_ The squid shivered, _And not much scares them. They've even decided to avoid this particular coast because of it._

Now that _was_ strange. I've bumped into a few orcas before and knew that they were pretty fearless. Especially when they were hunting – they were scary and would literally beach themselves just to snatch seals off the shore. So for them to be spooked enough to not want to approach a certain shore – by wolves for that matter – just didn't add up. "I'll be careful then." I replied.

The squid bid a quick farewell after that – it probably had mustered up all the courage it had to approach me. Especially if it knew that this shore was possibly dangerous. The gesture was honestly a bit touching. _So now there's large wolves too…_ I stifled a sigh. The encounter did give me an idea, though. Maybe more of the sea life around here knew more about what was going on around here – they would likely be willing to give answers. "Percy?"

My mom's voice made me turn my head sharply, and I almost grimaced guiltily when I saw her expression. By the looks of it, she had caught the end of the conversation. "Hi Mom."

"Who were you talking to?" She asked suspiciously as she approached, scanning the water briefly, before turning to me.

"Ah, just a squid," I rubbed the back of my neck, chuckling nervously, "It was curious of why I was here and stuff."

She didn't seem convinced. "And what did you mean by "I'll be careful"?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I promise. Hermes just has me on a quick side quest while I'm here, and—"

" _Hermes?"_

 _Crap._ I didn't mean for that to slip out. It's always been hard to stretch the truth around her.

"Don't worry, Mom. I promise it's nothing dangerous. He just popped in real quick the other day," I lifted my hands, trying to calm her, "I know we're all on vacation so it's nothing that'll last for too long."

Even with my reassurance, it seemed like the damage was already done, and I could already see the worry wrinkling on her face. Usually she was pretty calm when it came to this sort of thing – but her emotions were a bit off the norm due to the pregnancy and she seemed to get more worried than usual. It was too public to be talking about such things around here, but I knew with the look she was giving me that she wasn't going to let up that easily. I'd likely be interrogated back at the hotel.

After saying goodbye to everyone, the three of us packed up into the car and headed back to our hotel. It was quiet for the most part apart from their hushed voices in the front seats and the car's humming and I could feel myself drifting off a bit. I must have ended up completely dozing off, because a loud screech broke the silence, jolting me awake in an instant. I could feel my heart leap in my throat, sleepiness forgotten as the vehicle started to flip violently.

It was only my reflexes that helped me make sense of what was happening. Something had crashed against the side of our car, causing Paul to lose control and when we stopped flipping, I groaned when my head smacked hard against my window, causing my eyes to blur a bit. I felt the pain begin to bloom at the back of my head and arm as darkness consumed my vision.

The last thing I heard was Paul's urgent voice asking if my mom if she was okay.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note -** Hello lovelies! I finally posted the next chapter for this story! It definitely took much longer than I expected - I've been wanting to get on a set schedule for this particular story, but general business from home and work kept me from working on it. =/ But finally! It's all written. As always, I want to thank everyone who's reviewed, liked, and followed this story. I really appreciate all your support! I wanted to give you all a few updates and then I'll let you go so you can enjoy the chapter!

First of all, this will be the last chapter in this story that I'll be posting first point of view for Percy. I liked it at first - having him being the only one in first person and everyone else third, but I felt like the story would be a bit more neater if I just go ahead and do the same point of view for everyone.

And second of all, I had a few people ask me via PM on here if I'd be able to respond to reviews here on top (or bottom) of the page of every few chapters, and while I don't think that it's a bad idea, I don't think I'll be doing that. I like to keep each chapter as uncluttered as possible just for neatness wise. I don't mind answering questions, though! If you ever have something on your mind regarding this story (or any of my stories for that matter) feel free to ask me in my PMs! I'd be happy to answer them and I'm usually really good about checking my inbox.

Anyway, without further ado, here's Chapter Seven!

* * *

 **Percy Jackson**

* * *

I heard low voices when I finally came to and as soon as my eyes blinked open I felt a dull ache at the side of my head. I was surrounded by white walls and the smell of sterilization. Slowly sitting up, I rubbed my hand against my head and almost as soon as I moved, someone ran up to the bed I was on. "Percy! You're awake!" Nessie stood there next to me, her eyes wide with concern.

"Nessie..." I frowned, trying to remember how I got here, "What happened?"

"You were in an accident while driving back to your hotel room," She explained, sitting on the side of the bed.

At first I was a bit nervous that I had lost my memory - I'd already gone down that lane and trust me it's not fun - but not long after she mentioned the car accident, I was slowly beginning to remember what happened. "I think I remember mostly what happened-" I began and then suddenly she hopped off of the bed.

"Wait-let me get my grandpa," She told me, "He's your doctor here and he wanted to see you when you were awake."

"Okay." I watched her leave and then laid back against the pillows with a soft sigh. It was a bit hard to calm myself down. I wanted to see if Mom and Paul were okay, but I decided to distract myself by looking at my own injuries. There wasn't too much to account for - my head was what was hurting the most - but there were still new bruises and cuts on my skin. My ribs ached a bit and three of my fingers on my right hand were all taped up.

I glanced up when I heard the door open again and Carlisle walked into the room - his brow furrowed with concern. He gave me a friendly smile as he approached bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a car rolled over on top of me." I gave a grimace and he gave a chuckle.

"I believe the reason for that is that a car _did_ pretty much roll on top of you," His gaze gleamed in amusement for a brief moment, "Where does it hurt most, though?"

I touched my head. "My head mostly. I remember that it bashed against my window when the vehicle lost control."

Carlisle began gently probing my head, asking me time to time where it was hurting most as he put pressure on different places. "It's good that you're able to remember what happened to it - that's a good sign that there probably wasn't any memory damage. Are you able to remember anything else?"

"Not really... I remember us all driving back to the hotel after the party at La Push. I wasn't really paying attention 'cause I was tired and dozing off, but I do remember being confused when our car was hit." I could feel myself frowning once more as I tried to dive further back into my memory. Why had I been confused?

Then I remembered.

I looked back up towards him. "I was confused because we were hit in the wrong direction."

It was his turn to frown. "The wrong direction?"

"Yeah. There was no other roads around – it was just one way," I recalled, "There was no one else on the road – and even if there would have been, it wouldn't have hit our vehicle from the side – it would have crashed from the front. It was just all forest on either side."

"A deer, perhaps?"

"No. Way too much force to be a deer – I mean, if it would have been a deer we might have swerved a bit, but this felt almost as if a semi smashed into us." I rubbed my head once more at the memory. "Anyway. Is Paul and my mom okay?"

Carlisle stepped back from examining me. "Both came out with a few injuries themselves, but they'll recover. Though, your mom might have to stay just for a bit longer. We wanted to make sure that everything with the baby is okay."

Just as he finished his sentence, the door to my room opened once more, causing us to both look up as two new arrivals entered. Edward and Bella. Bella quickly hurried over to my bed. "Percy! We heard what happened – are you feeling okay?" I saw her gaze quickly assess me and I chuckled.

"Don't worry – I'm fine. Kind of sucks though. I haven't been on vacation in ages and as soon as I do, I just run into trouble." It wasn't like I didn't expect it, though. Trouble seemed to follow me like the plague.

"We were just discussing about what could've caused the crash," Carlisle told them, straightening his notes, "We've ruled out that it was another car – there wasn't any other vehicle in sight anyway."

"It could have been a bear." Edward suggested.

"There's bears around here?" I frowned. That could be it, but still… it didn't seem right. "I dunno. A bear probably would have had more impact, but it felt even stronger than a bear." I tapped my fingers irritably. If only I hadn't been dozing off at the time of the crash. I might have had a glimpse of what hit us.

Bella's voice broke through my thoughts. "Well… whatever it was, I'm glad you three are okay. My dad was pretty upset when he heard about the accident. He was one of the first on the scene. He said the vehicle was totaled."

Nothing seemed to really add up – it wasn't another vehicle, and if it were an animal, there should have been a body somewhere, but nothing other than our vehicle and ourselves were found. "Strange…" I murmured, partially to myself, "And Paul didn't see anything?"

The three of them exchanged a look. "He said that it happened too quickly for him," Carlisle replied at last, "So I was a bit surprised that you were able to recall a bit more details than him."

I turned my attention to Bella. "Was it your dad that got the three of us out of the wreck then? Since he was there first?"

Bella shook her head. "All three of you were already outside of the car when he arrived. It was as if someone had already pulled you out beforehand."

The three of them left after a few moments of discussion, and I was left with more questions than answers. "Ugh." I sighed, tipping my head back. It felt like everything was going in a big circle around me.

"Ah, good. You're awake." A familiar voice made me nearly jump out of my skin. Hermes stood there – dressed up as a doctor and he gave me a light grin. "I'm glad that you're still alive, Jackson. There's something I'd like to speak to you about."

I tried not to groan as he made his way over to my side. "I hope you're not here for my report, because I barely have anything."

"I expected as much," Hermes gave a nod, "How are you doing, though? It took me awhile to free the three of you from the rumble earlier."

"That was _you?"_ I blinked in surprise, "I thought the gods weren't supposed to meddle with that sort of thing."

"Technically we're not really supposed to, but since Zeus is behind this little research project, that rule's been put on hold. Plus I happened to be nearby when the accident happened – and I don't particularly hate you, Jackson," Hermes smirked, "So I decided to help. Good thing I did, too. The vehicle was beginning to burn."

I sighed softly. It wasn't like I wasn't grateful. He probably saved Mom's and Paul's life too. "Thank you."

"You're welcome… Now, on to business," His expression turned more serious, "Since I was nearby, I did have a good look at what happened. Before the crash, I noticed something. I saw someone rush out from the forest – going at a speed that no mere human could run, and that figure was who crashed into your vehicle. They were very quick, even my eyes found them a bit hard to follow. After they smashed into your vehicle, though, they left the scene and I saw another person chasing after them a few moments later – not running as quickly, but still fairly quick."

"Did you get a good look at them?"

"A bit," Hermes rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "It was a boy – probably not much younger than yourself. However, that's all I got. I was more so focused on freeing the three of you at the time. How about yourself? Have you learned anything of interest?"

Absorbing this new information, I frowned. "Well, I think you were right about this place is being strange. Earlier, I encountered a squid who told me that there were strange wolves on the shore that frightened the marine life around there – and there's something weird about the Cullen family – they're my newfound family up here and I don't know what it is about them, but they don't seem human. When I first met them… they felt off. My first thought was empousai, but… not all of them are female."

"Empousai…" Hermes mused, "I did pass that one Cullen on my way here. Dr. Carlisle Cullen is it? I noticed briefly that he felt a bit strange, but I didn't pay much mind at the moment."

"Maybe this town has different myths running around," All this thinking was making my head hurt a little bit – I was starting to wish Annabeth was here, she'd probably be able to connect the dots more quickly, "I mean, I've had a run in with Egyptian magicians before and there's a whole other world with them. It wouldn't be too surprising if other places had their own as well."

Hermes eyes narrowed. "That could be it."

"I wonder why Zeus is so interested in all this – I thought he didn't really care about all this stuff."

"Hmm. That depends," Hermes mused, "If we're dealing with deities other than Roman and Greek then it's sort of his job to be aware. Things get a bit dicey if we accidentally tangle with affairs other than our own so knowing is helpful."

It was a bit surprising that Hermes was explaining all of this to me – usually all of them were really vague. My brow furrowed. "…wait. Was it _him_ who helped along my mom's research?" I narrowed my eyes, "I was wondering how she suddenly came about it."

Hermes grinned. "He might've played a hand in it – he wanted only a few people on this case – just so it'd keep under wraps."

I tried not to sigh. So this whole vacation had been pretty much fabricated so he'd have an excuse for me to meddle with things. Swallowing my irritation, I replied, "Maybe we should start with trying to find the kid you saw. He might know what's going on."

"Yes. I was already planning on trying to look for him – I drew a sketch of him for you so you'd be able look as well," He handed me a surprisingly well drawn picture of him.

"Huh," I said as I looked at the picture, "I didn't know you could draw."

"Just a hobby I picked up – it comes in handy when I'm passing along messages sometimes." He shrugged. "Anyway. Try not to get into anymore crashes. I won't always around."

I tried not to make a face. "Trying not to die is one of my specialties – unfortunately."

Hermes just winked in my direction and disappeared without another word. Folding up the piece of paper in my pocket, I slowly slid off of the hospital bed. My body was still aching as I walked out of the room. I nearly ran into Paul on my way out. "Percy—" He glanced me over with a look of concern. "I was just about to check on you. Are you sure you should be up and around?"

I gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sides," I chuckled lightly, "I've had worse. How's Mom?"

That question made him frown and I tried to get too nervous. Earlier Carlisle told me she had been okay, but maybe there was something I didn't know.

"She's just shaken," Paul replied after a moment of silence, "They want to keep for a bit until they're sure everything is okay."

I nodded. "That's what Carlisle said." Even though it wasn't really my fault this time, I still felt a rush of guilt. Trouble always seemed to follow wherever I go. "Is she awake? I wanted to see if I could visit her."

"I think she's asleep right now," Paul gave me a gentle squeeze on my shoulder, "Would you like to grab something to eat with me down in the cafeteria?"

I nodded, smiling a bit again. "That sounds good."

I wasn't really hungry, but I ordered a sandwich before sitting down with Paul. We were quiet for a moment, just eating, before I broke the silence. "Did you see what hit us, then?"

Paul just shook his head. "It all happened to quickly for me to see. But I'm positive that wasn't another car."

"I bet Mom will want to go home soon after this." I mused. After what all happened, I didn't really see her wanting to stay for too much longer.

Paul rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe. Though, I'm not sure how long they'll want to keep her here. And I'm not sure how traveling right after will work out. It might be best to wait and see how everything goes."

I took that moment to look Paul over. He seemed okay for the most part, but there were a few cuts on his face and one of his hands was wrapped up. "What about you? Are you okay? Whatever it was, it did hit your side first."

He smiled a bit. "I'm fine. Just sore – a few of my fingers were broken too." He lifted his wrapped hand carefully.

"I found him, Grandpa!"

Nessie's voice made me look up and I grinned a bit as the girl hurried over. There was look of concern in her gaze as she approached. "Are you sure you should be up?"

"I'm fine," I took another bite of my sandwich as Carlisle entered the cafeteria, there was a look of skepticism on his face, "I was a bit hungry and ran into Paul."

I wasn't very used to all the fussing. Back at home, demigods would get banged up on a daily basis - much worse than my condition right now. The most the Apollo kids would have done for me would have been maybe bandaging up my head and calling it good. It wasn't that they didn't care - there's just usually no time to fuss to begin with, so when Carlisle gave me that look of disapproval, I gave him a sheepish grin. "I'm fine. Honest. You even said I didn't have a concussion."

"Still," He gave me a critical eye, "To be up straight away like this may aggravate it."

As Nessie got comfortable on my lap, my grin turned to a light smile. "Don't worry, doc. I'll take it easy from here on out."

* * *

 **Leah Clearwater**

* * *

 _Have you caught the scent?_ Seth wondered, his voice sounded a bit of a distance away.

Leah flicked her ears, trying not to let her irritation show. Ever since she heard about Percy's accident, she had thrown herself into tracking down who was the cause behind it. They caught a whiff of a strange vampire, but that scent quickly ran cold. However, there was also another scent that mingled with it. A scent of a human - which she was tracking right at the moment and it seemed like she was beginning to narrow down its source.

 _Be careful,_ The sound of Jake's voice in her mind made her pause for only a moment, _Whether if it's human or not, we don't know what we're dealing with._ He was trailing a few steps behind her - she couldn't seen amongst the thick brush, but she didn't have to. She could sense him.

She didn't reply to him and kept her gaze forward. Whoever belonged to the scent was talented enough to not leave much of a trail behind, but between her efforts along with Jake's they were able to pick out the trail. It didn't really make much sense, but one thing was for sure - this human seemed fully aware of vampires - maybe even werewolves too. When they reached the end of the trail, however, they were left disappointed. It was as if the person had completely vanished and she released a frustrated breath. _How can they just disappear into thin air? I understand maybe one of the bloodsuckers managing it, but what about a human? There's no way they wouldn't leave at least_ something _behind._ She growled, watching as Jake fell into step beside her.

He surveyed the area for a moment, looking a bit puzzled himself, before replying. _Not sure, but I'm gonna talk to Sam and the Cullens to see if they found anything on their after this. Maybe they found something we don't know about._

 _Look on the bright side, sis,_ Both of them looked up as Seth joined them, he had a wolf-y grin on his face _, At least your boyfriend is all good._

 _He's is_ not _my boyfriend,_ She snapped and her brother danced away before she could catch his nose with her teeth, _I just want to find out who did this. He might be fine right now, but it could have easily been the other way around._

Seth seemed to sober up just a bit upon hearing the hint of concern in her voice. She wasn't the type to let things get to her - and when something was bothering her, she'd always put up some sort of front to mask it. This time, however, it was a bit hard to control her emotions. She had gone from meeting the person she was Imprinted to and then the day after being told that he nearly got crushed in a car accident. She might have a better handle on her emotions nowadays, but even that would be a bit much for anyone to stomach. _Don't worry,_ Seth gave her a gentle nudge, _We'll figure this out._

Thankfully, no one had hesitated to help out when she first set out to try and track down the culprits. It didn't matter what pack you were in - _no one_ messed with an Imprintee. According to Jake, as soon as Sam heard about it himself, he didn't even question it and set out with his own group to see if there was any trace in their territory. _We should head back,_ Jake took that moment to take another glance around, _We can circle around here a bit if you want, but I doubt we'll find anything._

 _Okay._ She replied a bit reluctantly. She didn't really want to give up the search just yet, but she had a feeling that he was right. Whoever it was, they were probably long gone now. Besides, she wanted to check in and see how everything was with Percy anyway. _Do you think it'd be strange to go visit him?_

Jake shrugged. _I don't think so, but maybe a bit. I mean, you_ did _just meet him. But I don't think he'd be the type to really mind._

By the time they returned back home, she had decided to stop by the hospital and as she approached the building she was a bit surprised to see Percy sitting out in the courtyard along with Bella, Nessie, and his stepfather. Bella was the first who noticed her, and the other woman offered her a small smile as she walked up them. "Hello, Leah. I didn't expect you to be here."

Upon Bella's greeting, the others glanced over curiously, and she offered a slight smile herself. "Yeah. I didn't really expect to either. We heard about your crash, though, and we wanted to see if everything was okay."

She was looking at Percy as she spoke and he nodded. "We're fine... well, at least Paul and I are. My mom got the worse of it."

She frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. She's going to have a baby soon, isn't she?"

"Yeah. It might take a bit for her to recover." Percy shifted, gently resting Nessie, who was asleep, into Bella's arms. He stood up, stretching a bit before he gave her a smile. "I was going to walk around a bit. D'ya wanna tag along with me?" True to his word, he seemed relatively unscathed apart from a few bruises and cuts and the bandage on his head. The two of them didn't say much as they started walking down the sidewalk in front of the hospital. Once they got a distance away from the others, though, she heard him sigh.

She hesitated for a moment and then asked, "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit disappointed," He admitted, "My mom was pretty excited about this trip and now it's likely she'll spend the last bit of it in bed."

She nodded. "At least it sounds like she'll be okay." She narrowed her eyes a moment later. "Have you heard any news about what could have happened to make you guys wreck?"

"Not that much." He answered, sounding about as frustrated as she felt, "I didn't see much of what happened myself - and Paul and my mom didn't either. All I know is that it wasn't another car." At some point they had stopped walking and he nudged a rock with his shoe, seeming deep in thought. After a few moments of silence he finally reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. Once it was unfolded, he showed it to her. "Have you seen anyone who looks like this?" It was a penciled sketch of a younger looking boy with dark hair.

After looking at for a while she finally shook her head. She didn't recognize him at all. "No. I don't see too many people other than those on the reserve. Unless if I'm away from home. Why?"

Percy paused for a moment, seeming to have a debate with himself, and then as he was folding up the paper he answered. "The guy who found us and dragged us out from the wreck made up a sketch of who it might have been."

She looked back down at the paper. "So that's..."

"Yep," He didn't seem too happy about it, and with another sigh, he ran a hand slowly through his black hair, "It just doesn't add up though. If a person runs into a car it wouldn't have knocked against it with that force - it would have knocked _them_ with that much force. The guy who sketched it said that there might have been two, but that still doesn't make much sense." He muttered a few other things to himself that she wasn't able to catch. "And even if that was what happened, there's no way in Hades someone would have been able to just stand back up and shake that off."

"Hades?" She wondered, mildly amused by the strange wording.

She heard him chuckle a bit. "Just a inside family joke." He slipped the paper back in his pocket as they began walking across the parking lot. "But anyway... unless if our guy is either secretly Ironman or made out of stone, then I don't know what happened."

 _Or a vampire._ She silently added. His story definitely added up to what they found out in the woods. Two scents - one vampire, one human. It sounded like it could have been the vampire who ran into their car. On accident, maybe? Or was it on purpose? She might have understood it better had it just been a vampire. The easy explanation for that was that they could have been trying to hunt, but that didn't explain the human. "I'm sure things will settle soon. Not much happens around here, but when it does, the police are usually on it pretty quick."

She could feel an air of skepticism radiating off of him. She couldn't really blame him, so she decided changed the subject. "Hey, if you ever feel up to it, you're always welcome to visit La Push again. It's pretty common for us to have bonfires, so you can come if you'd like."

Percy was quiet for a moment as they slowly walked. She took that moment to glance towards him and he was watching the ground, his brow furrowed and thoughtful. Finally, as if feeling her gaze, he looked up, smiling a bit. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. I like the beach there. Should we head back now? I'm not sure how long Carlisle will let me wander without pouncing on me." He grinned.

Leah laughed. "You should have seen him with Jake – the guy you met over at the reserve. He broke his leg once and Carlisle all but wrestled him because the idiot wouldn't rest it."

"Sounds kind of something like I'd pull," He admitted with a snicker, "But Annabeth would probably toss me in bed if ignored a doctor's advice."

"Your girlfriend?" She wondered, curiously.

"Yeah," His grin softened back to a smile, "She definitely keeps me in line."

She had expected to feel something when he mentioned his girlfriend – something like jealously, or envy – maybe it lingered somewhere in the back of her mind, but at the moment she only felt curious. "I'm surprised she didn't come along with you."

"We thought about it, but she had a lot going on back home – with school and family stuff of her own," Percy shrugged, "Otherwise, I think she would've liked to come."

Leah nodded a bit absently, and as she glanced away from him she noticed that the two of them were back where they started. "Anyway, I probably should head back home. But before I go, I was thinking – maybe you should make copies of that sketch you have and hand them out to people. There's a good chance that someone might have seen them."

He seemed to perk up a bit. "That's a good idea. Thanks for visiting by the way – it was kind of nice getting away from the crowd a bit."

"No problem."

She watched as he headed back through the hospital doors before walking back to her parked vehicle. As she approached, she smelled Edward before she saw him and she tried not to wrinkle her nose. He was waiting by her car, a slight smile on his face – the one that appeared when he was reading through someone's thoughts. "What do you need?" She wondered, keeping her tone neutral.

"I just wanted to tell you that we didn't really find anything on our end. Alice tried to look, but it's been a bit complicated."

"Complicated how?" She frowned.

He was frowning too. "I'm not sure. There's something about Percy that's a bit off. Not in a bad way or anything, but it's almost like the werewolves with him. Alice can't really grasp anything of the future that involves him – including the accident. We didn't know anything about it until we were told after. I have a hard time reading his thoughts, too. I only pick up bits and pieces."

"I see…" She tried not to sigh. This whole situation was becoming more and more troubling. "Well, I guess we'll tell you if we learn anything or whatever."

He gave a stiff nod. "Likewise."

With that said, he vanished and she flopped down her driver's seat.

 _What a long day._ She sighed and after turning on her car, she reached over to the passenger's seat to grab her phone. One of its lights were blinking – indicating she had a message, and she opened it. Her breath took a sharp intake as she read the message.

 _Leah. Come back as soon as you see this. Sam's group found something. – Jake._


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note -** Hello everyone! Welcome to the next chapter of _Through the Mist!_ For those who have stuck through this story this far - thank you so much for all your support. It's made me really happy being able to read through everyone's reviews!

I wasn't too sure of this chapter - I proofed read it a few times and it seemed a bit rushed for my taste, but hopefully you all enjoy it! Any feedback is welcomed! Thank you again and enjoy reading!

* * *

"And that's pretty much what's happened so far."

Percy was sitting on one of the hotel beds, his back resting against a few pillows as he held his phone against his ear. After everything that happened in a short length of time, all he felt like doing when he was discharged from the hospital was to call Annabeth. "I'm not really sure what to do next," He continued, "I guess I'll just go ahead with what Hermes said and try to find the kid in the sketch, but who knows how long that'll take. Forks might be small, but it's still going to be a lot trying to find someone I don't even know."

It was quiet on the other end for a few moments, and then she replied. "Personally, from the details you've given so far, I feel like you're right about it possibly being myths from some other sort of mythology. I wouldn't be able to pin down what type of mythology from what was given - I'd probably have to be there myself - but that's what I think. I know that it might sound a bit cliche, but I have a feeling that you might be dealing with some sort of vampires and werewolves."

"Vampires and werewolves?"

"Yes. Just think about it. You had that encounter with that squid saying something about strange, large wolves - and then if you turn around to the stories you heard during that bonfire, they were something about victims being drained of blood, right? While things may feel scattered, if you narrow down the details to just those two things..." She trailed off, sounding thoughtful. "I'm not sure, but there really isn't any other explanation. You even said that the Cullens have a similar feeling of an Empousai."

Percy found himself nodding along with her, even if she couldn't see him. "Yeah, that does make sense. So hypothetically, if we're right about vampires and werewolf, how does this kid fit into all this? From the way Hermes described, he seemed normal."

"The key word there is seemed. You should know by now that not everything is as it appears." She sounded slightly amused and he laughed.

"Point taken - I guess he could be anything in that case." He shifted, changing his position to laying down, and he set his phone to loudspeaker as he rested it near his face."I'll figure it out. How are things going over, there, though? With your family and all that."

There was a sigh on the other end. "Same old. You're not missing too much, honestly."

"You sound pretty tired." He noted, frowning slightly.

She hummed lightly. "I am a bit. I won't lie. But don't worry. There's definitely been worse."

Before he had the chance to respond to that, he nearly jumped out of skin when something rapped loudly against the hotel's window. On the other end, Annabeth must have either sensed something was wrong or heard the sharp intake of his breath. "What's wrong?" She asked as he slowly stood.

There were a few more taps against the glass - these weren't as loud as the first, but he felt his hand curl around Riptide as he went forward to investigate. "Hang on just a sec." He replied back before cautiously pushing back the curtains.

The sight on the other side of the window was not what he expected, but it was familiar. There was a shoe with wings in front of him. It fluttered in place - reminding him of some sort of bird. As he looked a bit closer, he could see that something was sticking out from inside the shoe and it almost seemed as if was patiently waiting for him to open the window. He had to admit that he was a bit reluctant to. The last time he encountered a shoe with wings didn't go so well. Especially for a certain satyr...

"Percy?"

Annabeth's voice drew him away from his thoughts. "Sorry I'm still here. Everything is fine. I think Hermes just sent me a message... his messenger smacked into the window. I'll call you back if anything else happens. Try not to worry."

It honestly wasn't the weirdest encounter they've had so she seemed to take it in a stride. He could hear a few voices on her end now and for a brief moment, she muffled herself to talk to someone before returning to the call. "Okay. Talk to you soon."

After saying a quick goodbye, Percy focused back on the shoe and opened the window. It didn't waste any time entering and it settled at the edge of his bed. Being able to inspect it more closely now, he discovered that it was carrying a small, scroll like paper. He took it, pulling the string wrapped around it off and carefully unfolded it. As he initially guessed, it was a message.

 _Percy,_

 _I'm in a bit in a hurry. I've been called back to Olympus to run a few errands so I will not be around investigating here for a while. Before I take my leave, however, I wanted to disclose something I found a bit odd._

 _After you left the hospital, I decided to snoop around a bit more and I may have overheard a few of the Cullens speaking about your accident. I didn't believe it to be too strange at first, but then I may have eavesdropped for a bit longer and found out that they're meeting a group of those La Push folk soon to investigate the incident further. It seems like your suspicions were correct. I had to leave before hearing the fine details, but I do believe we're in the midst of a few local myths from what I did catch. I recommend you looking into this meeting if you're able. My messenger should be able to lead you to them._

 _Hermes._

As soon as he finished reading the message a few times and went to set it down, the shoe leaned over and snapped it up. Literally - the front half of it had suddenly grown into a mouth with small razor sharp teeth and it started munching away on the paper as if it were candy. He was quick to take his hand away from it. It seemed satisfied with the paper, but he wasn't taking any chances. "I guess you and I are heading out." He muttered. The shoe ignored him for a few moments as it focused on eating its snack and when it was finished it took to the air, beckoning him to follow.

One would have guessed at the beginning that following a flying shoe would be an easy feat - but that wasn't the case for him. Hermes' messenger was seeming to have a difficult time remembering that a small vehicle like the one Percy was driving isn't off-road material. It would habitability leave his line of sight and try to lead him off into the woods. It was rather distracting and he was secretly relieved that it seemed to be leading him away from heavy traffic. It'd be his luck if he fell victim to another road accident.

Eventually, it came to the point where he had to park his car off to the side and follow on foot. As he expected, the fluttering shoe lead him straight into the nearby woods. It'd flap circles above him if he fell behind - almost as if it were annoyed that he was taking his time picking his way along an invisible path. After getting whacked in the face with branches a few times and bitten by mosquitoes, he finally noticed that the birds overhead had gone quiet and he the tension in the air was almost tangible. His bird-like companion had stopped, and now was perched on his shoulders. Its wings rustled nervously, and he kept his hand around Riptide as he proceeded forward.

He could hear voices up ahead, and decided to stop and crouch near a tree and some brush. Out in front of him was a small clearing - a meadow of some sorts, and a bit of distance away he could see a gathering of people. Scratch that, mostly people.

There were wolves nearby too - and not just your average everyday wolf. These wolves were huge. Large enough for a person to comfortably ride them if they were able. Mrs. O'Leary still towered over them, but even so - he'd never seen anything like them. As he peered a bit more closely, he could pick out a few of Cullens circling around something - they were talking lowly - too quietly for him to hear them - and were looking down at something near their feet. Percy hesitated for a moment. He had a gut feeling that everyone's head would snap in his direction if he tried to move closer - or move at all for that matter.

The messenger on his shoulder shifted its wings again - seeming content in not being of any help at all and he tried not to sigh. He was going to have to try and creep forward if he wanted to hear what they were saying - he was also wondering what in Hades they were circled around. Of course he couldn't see from where he was.

As soon as he moved, though, he regretted it.

Everyone's heads snapped up - not at him, though, as he expected, but at something else. There were a few exclamations of surprise from the group out in the meadow, and before he could even conjure up a solid thought, something black hurled toward him at a breakneck speed. He thanked every god above that he was able to somehow fall flat to the ground as the object smashed into the tree next to him. All that grueling training had been worth it. He doubted that he'd be alive right now if he hadn't had it embedded in his system.

When he had the guts to rise and turn over to see what had tried to kill him, his heart almost stuttered a bit at what he saw. It was a sword - pure black in color. Usually the sight of a sword wouldn't of really bothered him, but seeing a sword effortlessly pierced deep within a tree where your head once was? That was enough to put anyone in a bit of shock. "Percy! What are you doing here?" _Crap._

In the midst of nearly dying he had forgotten about everyone out on the meadow. Carlisle stood there, his brow furrowed in that familiar concern he had saw back at the hospital. The older man glanced to where he was on the ground, and then at the sword piercing the tree, seeming to realize quickly what had just happened. "Are you all right?" The others were beginning to gather, some glancing warily at the sword - which seemed to be at a standstill for now - and others were looking at him. It was going to be hard to talk himself out of this one. He doubted they'd buy the whole "just hiking in the area" story.

Percy stood up slowly - there were no wolves in sight now, but he had a guess that they weren't too far away. He was about to speak when suddenly the black sword began to shudder, almost as if it were trying to wedge itself out. Just like that, all attention was off of him and directed toward the sword.

After a moment, it seemed as if the sword had taken note of its predictable as it was unable to release itself.

 _Foolish Greek!_ An angry voice bellowed from the sword, _I will slice your bones to dust! Release me from this wretched tree at once!_

None of the others seemed to have heard the voice - they were just watching as the sword gave a final twitch. Upon habit, he had almost responded something along the lines of "why would I do that" to the sword - he was just too used to that sort of thing. "Um," Percy said instead, finally, "I'm sorry if I interrupted something…"

It didn't seem like they were buying the whole "I just happened to be here" vibe he was trying to give off. He didn't blame them - he'd be a bit suspicious too. Carlisle still had a touch of sympathy in his gaze, but he too seemed on guard. "Come join us back at the house, Percy. Edward, Emmett grab the sword. "

Arguing would have made the situation even more suspicious and he ended up following them back to their home. The sword made its displeasure of being "man-handled" all the way back to their home. It seemed to know that he could understand it because it threatened him directly quite a few times. Sometime during the chaos, Hermes' little messenger had disappeared - leaving him by himself in this sticky situation.

"Damn, this sword is going to end up tearing my arm off," Emmett complained, up ahead of him. Both him and Edward were struggling a bit to keep the violent sword under control as the group finally made it to the Cullens' yard. The two seemed to be fairly surprised that the sword had enough strength to make them struggle.

 _Bloodsucking beasts_ , The sword hissed, _I will have all your heads!_

 _Geez, give it a rest._ He grumped to himself, not expecting there to be an answer.

Almost instantly, though, all of the sword's fury focused on him. _You finally dare to speak then, Greek? Tell these soulless barbarians to un-hand me at once! If you do so, I will grant you a swift death._

 _Uh, no thanks. I'd rather not die._ Percy dared to glance toward the sword - which was now almost vibrating in frustration.

During the exchange, he noticed that Edward staring at him - with a strange expression on his face. He appeared to be a bit puzzled and he glanced from him to the sword for brief moment, before his gaze settled upon him once more. "Are you… speaking to it?" There was a question mark in his voice - almost as if he wasn't sure if he had heard something correctly.

It wasn't really how he wanted things to go, but now he figured that he might as well cut to the chase. He had a feeling that they were already suspicious that he'd seen something they wouldn't have wanted him to see. The one called Jasper had been watching him for most of the time back - he had an uncomfortable feeling whenever he felt the other's gaze on him.

Unfortunately, the distraction was enough for the sword to break free and suddenly it shot up in the air, the tip of its blade directed at him. _Draw your sword, Greek! I can smell her from here._

 _What was it with swords being able to smell Riptide?_

He wasn't sure if he imagined it or not, but he thought he felt Riptide shudder a bit in his pocket. Forgetting briefly that there were others around, he raised his hands a bit in a "hey calm down gesture" when the sword hovered in a bit closer. "Hey man, you can't just go around trying to lope people's heads off without introducing yourself."

The sword paused for a moment. _That's true_. It mused, thoughtfully, _It was rather rude of me now that I think of it. I simply haven't had the chance to engage in a true battle for millenium or so. As much as I hate to admit it, you Greeks are always fair matches._ Thankfully, this seemed to calm it down and it lowered itself back to the ground, its blade now facing downwards. There seemed to be writing engraved into it, but he couldn't read it from where he stood - and it faced toward him as if it were looking at him. _I am Black Fang._

"Black Fang?" Emmett wrinkled his nose a bit after he translated, "What kind of name is that? And how can you talk to it?" He was glaring at him now with a look of accusation, "We still haven't gotten an answer as to why you were there."

"Emmett…" Carlisle cautioned. They all seemed to be looking at him expectantly now, though.

Percy felt his shoulders sag a bit, knowing he was caught as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just a bit curious of what was going on. I had a gut feeling that something a bit off about this place and may have accidentally stumbled into something I shouldn't."

Black Fang chortled - now floating near him. _You are not a very good liar, friend._

Carlisle raised a brow, "I may believe the part of curiosity having brought you here, but that still does not explain how you can understand what this sword is saying."

"Carlisle." A new voice made them all turn as a new arrival came. It was a man - a bit on a the tall side, and there was a stern look in his eyes. In front of him was a younger boy of whom he had a strong grip on. Percy quickly recognized the boy - he looked exactly like the one in Hermes' sketch. The boy looked like he was ready to kill someone, but as soon as his eyes fell upon Black Fang his eyes widened momentarily in recognition.

"Sam? Who is this?" Carlisle frowned at the boy - who simply glared daggers in return.

"We found him back in the meadow when all of us left - he seemed to be searching around where that sword was," The man nodded toward Black Fang, "He was quiet for most of the trip over here, but snapped that he'd "hunt all of us" down when we first captured him."

While they were going back and forth, the boy was now looking at him. He appeared to be a bit confused, and his voice made everyone go quiet. "Shouldn't you be dead?" His question was directed at Percy. Everyone tensed a bit.

Percy resisted the urge to say "probably". There were too many times where he should have died. "What?" He didn't even have to pretend to be confused.

"I saw you," The boy insisted, "No one should have survived a crash like that."

Everything seemed to happen at once as soon as the he said that. Percy barely had time react when a massive wolf launched itself out of the forest - pinning the guy to the ground as it snarled in his face. The boy shouted - mostly in surprise, but angrily too, and punched the wolf in the nose - causing it to rear its head a bit back and bare its teeth. _"Leah. Stop."_ He heard Sam command over the commotion.

 _Leah?_

Another wolf joined the fray - this one being larger, russet one, and it grabbed the one trying to tear into the boy roughly by its scruff, ignoring it when it tried to snap its jaws around to bite it. As it was dragged away, the kid had scrambled up to his feet. Somehow during the chaos, he had managed to grab Black Fang's hilt and was now pointing the sword at them. He was roughed up and was bleeding a bit. "It wasn't me who caused that crash," The guy growled, "Idiots. It was one of _your_ kind." He pointed Black Fang toward the Cullens. "I was trying to chase them down, but they ran into the car. Which is why I'm confused as to how you're alive," He gestured toward Percy, "I wasn't able to stop, but anyone in that vehicle should have died."

There was a deathly silence after that.

Nobody really seemed to know what to do with this predicament… there were just too many things happening at the same time. Finally Carlisle sighed - he seemed to be drawing what patience he had left to remain calm. "I believe there is much that needs to be explained. However, I think we should start with you, Percy," His golden eyes flicked over to him, "As much as I don't want to accuse you of anything, I have a feeling that you haven't been entirely truthful and may know more than us of what may be going on."

All eyes were on him once more - even the two wolves were now settled, their eyes upon him. Percy frowned. "I don't know everything-"

Carlisle raised his hand, stopping him, "That's fine. Tell us what you do know." The guy seemed to be on his last tether now. They all were. He couldn't really blame them for being on edge either - he hadn't even flinched when the wolves had appeared. Any normal human being probably would have wet their pants.

"Okay," Percy sighed, finally relenting, "I'll try to explain the best I can…"


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Hello and welcome to chapter nine! I'm so excited that I was able to write this and get it updated so soon after my last one!

I wanted to mention something real quick before you all begin reading. As I was proof reading this I noticed that it could be a bit confusing in regards if Edward is able to read Percy's mind or not. I don't want to give too much away, but to clear things up just a tad - Edward _can_ read Percy's mind occasionally. Relating it to a radio with bad reception might be the best way to imagine it - he can hear him sometimes, but most of the time it's fairly broken up.

That's all I needed to say, though! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Things had settled a bit in a span of few minutes.

The only Cullen who was absent was Bella, but he assumed that she had gone inside to keep Nessie company. They were all sort of standing in a circle now - waiting for him to give his explanation. Percy wasn't really sure where he wanted to start. He didn't really like the idea of spewing off his entire life story in front of a bunch of strangers. While some were family, he'd only known them for a small bit of time. It was a situation he would have preferred to avoid, but now that he had been put on the spot, he was going to have to say something.

After another moment he finally broke the silence. "I am being honest with the fact that I really didn't know what I was diving into when I first came here. It was just a vacation to see Charlie - nothing more. But my family… has always sort of been into the whole myths and legends thing. When I started to notice things here I began to become a bit suspicious," He shrugged lightly, "I've met vampires before, so it wasn't a huge shock to me."

It was Sam that raised a brow. "So you already knew of their existence prior to coming to Forks."

Percy nodded.

The other man gestured toward the russet wolf who was sitting near the edge of the woods behind them. The gray wolf was laying near him, her glare still set upon the boy who had Black Fang by his side. "And what about werewolves? You didn't really seem too shocked when those two sprung out."

He had definitely been a bit shocked, but he was just too damn used to stuff like that to get much of a reaction. He honestly was a bit shocked that he hadn't drawn Riptide at all throughout this upon impulse. "I didn't know about werewolves," He admitted truthfully, "but I wasn't too surprised about them either."

"Do your parents know?" Carlisle wondered, merely curious.

"No," He shook his head, "not about Forks and La Push, anyway. But we've had a few run-ins before visiting here so they do know about it a bit."

"So, what - you're some sort of "researcher" of them, then?" It was the mystery boy who spoke and he was looking at Percy with a look of disbelief and a bit of intrigue. "I didn't know there were people like that."

"Not really researcher just..." His jaw set a bit in mild frustration, this "stretching of the truth" was starting to get a bit out of hand, "more like... an individual who's had multiple unwanted encounters with the abnormal." _Yeah, that sounded about right._

Carlisle rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's slightly surprising you've encounter our kind and lived. A vast majority of them are not like us."

"Seems a bit sketchy if you ask me." He heard Emmett mutter partially under his breath, "Still doesn't explain this guy with his crazy sword." He nodded toward the other boy.

"Percy doesn't have anything to do with him." Edward stated - he'd been quietly listening up to this point, "He's Bree Tanner's brother."

Everyone seemed to tense up a bit at that name - making him wonder who exactly Bree Tanner was. The person who reacted the most, though, was the boy himself and he turned his glare toward Edward. "Get out of my head." He hissed angrily.

Edward ignored him, turning to look at Carlisle. "From my understanding, he's joined a small band of vampires in hopes of avenging her."

Carlisle frowned, but appeared sympathetic as he gazed at the boy. "If you seek revenge on the those who ended her life; then it may be wise to leave it be while you can. They're not to be trifled with."

Percy didn't understand the situation completely, but he still felt bad for the guy when he saw his shoulders fall a bit. For a brief moment, his angry expression dropped to one of grief. "So you won't help at all." He stated bitterly.

"There's not much we can do, I'm afraid." Carlisle answered not unkindly, "My family and the werewolves here have had their fair share of dealing with them - I'd rather not put ourselves in danger again. What is your name?"

The guy rubbed his face, seeming as if he was trying to compose himself before replying, "Cole," He muttered, the tone of his voice flat. "I'm sorry for troubling you. My friends and I aren't looking for a fight with you guys. I was only in the area because I wanted to see if I could convince you." Cole looked back over to Percy, "And I'm sorry about your accident. I was chasing a rogue around and he made a mad dash at your car for some reason. Probably thought I'd stop chasing him."

"A rogue?" Percy frowned.

"Yeah. At least, that's what I call 'em. They're the ones you've all probably heard about. It's on the news - a serial killer on the loose, all that. They're a new coven - not really a coven to be honest - that don't play by the rules." Cole explained, "I've been taking them down with this," He tapped a finger on Black Fang's hilt, "along with the help of my friends, but I mean, there's only a few of us and a lot of them so we haven't made much a difference."

 _Of course, you could always help us, Perseus Jackson,_ Black Fang chose that moment to speak, its voice purred, _A demigod would be something they would never expect._

Percy tried not to stiffen, risking a glance at Edward only to feel a touch of relief when he noticed that the mind reader wasn't paying attention. _How do you even know who I am?_ Black Fang didn't answer him, but he heard it cackle in his mind - which didn't really make him feel any better. He was beginning to have a bad feeling about the blade. "Where did you get Black Fang?" He dared to ask Cole.

Cole seemed to hesitate for moment, his brow furrowing. "I... can't remember to be honest. Whenever I try to I just draw a blank."

Everyone was seeming to glance toward Edward, as if waiting for a confirmation, but he was frowning too as he looked at Cole. "He's telling the truth. When Percy asked him, it was as if all of his thoughts went blank."

"All I remember is the name and that it's able to do this," Cole grabbed Black Fang's hilt and almost instantly the sword began to shrink to a smaller dagger - keeping its black color. "But how do you know its name? I haven't even told my friends that." He didn't seem upset about that fact, only curious.

"The sword "spoke" to him and told its name." Emmett replied. His arms were folded and he seemed a bit irritated of how long things were dragging out.

This only appeared to confuse Cole more. "Spoke? Swords can't talk..." _Uh-oh._

Everyone was starting to look back at him again with puzzled looks and in the midst of it all, Black Fang chuckled once more at his discomfort.

 _A little help here?_ He shot at the sword, growing a bit annoyed of its antics _. It's kinda your fault I'm in this mess._

 _My fault? Hmm... maybe that's true. In my defense, though, you did have a choice of not speaking out loud about me._ If the sword had a face, Percy would have guessed it would be smirking right now. _And how could I help? I'm just a sword._ It added innocently.

 _I wouldn't have said anything if my mind wouldn't have been read after answering you!_ Percy retorted, _Plus you attacked me without reason - there's that too. Now are you or are you not? Everyone's looking at me like I'm crazy now._

 _What will I receive in return of my assistance?_

Ugh.

He wanted to toss the sword back into a tree. _What do you want?_

The sword was quiet for a moment - probably mulling over its options, and after a second it answered. _Teach Cole Tanner how to properly wield me. He is a fast learner, but with an experienced instructor like yourself, he'll have more of a chance of succeeding in his mission._

Percy could feel a bit of a headache coming on and he rubbed his temples. _Okay, fine. I'll do what I can._

 _It's a deal then._ Black Fang gave another unsettling cackle, and before anyone could react a bright white flash suddenly blinded everyone. When he opened his eyes once more, everyone was glancing around, appearing to be a bit confused.

 _What just happened?_

 _I rearranged their memories a bit,_ Black Fang explained, _now they believe that Cole was the one who gave my name all along._ _They will remember, however, if you tell them or somehow remind them - so I advise you to be careful. Also if you don't uphold your end of the bargain, then I'll conveniently let them remember again_. It stated - sounding rather gleeful. It was almost as if it was hoping he'd try to avoid their agreement.

"I think now that we have a better understanding of what the circumstances are, you two can be free to leave if you wish. I apologize that we couldn't be of any help, Cole," Carlisle broke the awkward silence - sounding very sincere, "I wish we could have done more, but you certainly have our condolences for what happened to your sister. I still strongly suggest that you should turn away from the idea of revenge while you can, but I will understand if you ignore that warning."

Cole made a quiet _tsch_ sound, tucking Black Fang in a small sheath on his hip before putting his hands in his pockets. "It's fine. Didn't really expect you lot to help anyway, but whatever." The kid's "could care less" demeanor was really starting to remind him of Nico when he was younger. "Thanks for finding my sword, I guess. I'm heading out." And with that, Cole began to head back in the direction of the woods.

"Wait," Percy called after him, making him pause, "what happened to the vamp who crashed the car I was in?"

A hint of a dark smile appeared on Cole's face. "I took care of him for you." And with those parting words, he was gone.

"Nice guy." Emmett chuckled. He seemed to be the only one amused by Cole's behavior. The others seemed to be a bit more wary. Percy could hardly blame them - the guy had basically made it known that he was capable of taking down one of their own. It made him wonder if the kid was more than just a human - or if he was getting some sort of power from Black Fang. The latter would certainly make sense if the kid was just a human.

"I'm heading out too." Sam announced gruffly, glancing briefly at the wolves and then nodding to the Cullens before he began walking away.

Esme, who had been one of the ones who'd been quiet the whole time, turned to smile at him. "Would you like to come in, Percy? I wouldn't mind cooking for you. I think Nessie wants to see you again."

Percy was about to reply when his stomach gave him away - growling as if on cue. The timing of it managed to crack a grin out of all of them and eased a bit of the lingering tension. Percy grinned in return. "Sure. I can stay a bit longer."

When Percy entered the Cullens' home, Nessie nearly jumped up into his arms in her excitement. He didn't even have a chance to say hello as she spoke right away. "Hi Percy!" She greeted him happily, "I'm really glad that you know. It'll make things a lot easier!"

"Know?" He asked curiously.

"About us being vampires," She grinned, "my mom and I were able to hear you."

 _Oh._ He only felt a more curious. "So you're one too." He murmured, mostly to himself, but her sensitive hearing was able to pick it up.

"Yes, I am," Nessie smiled as the two of them sat down on one of the couches in the living room, "Only half, though, I'm-" She trailed off for a moment, and then her smile widened a bit, "I'll show you." She said, reaching for his face.

"Wait, Nessie-" Edward began to say, but it was too late. As soon as placed her hand upon his cheek, a series of images began filling his mind. At first it almost was like a movie being rewinded, but then it slowed down a bit and he realized that he was being shown previous events she had experienced.

When she finally did pull her hand away, he was left slightly dazed and had to take a moment to absorb what had just happened. "So your life has been pretty rough." He said after a bit, "Was that your ability?" She nodded.

They chatted for a bit while waiting for his food, and when it was done, as he stood up and began walking over to the kitchen, Edward grasped his shoulder gently - his expression wasn't angry, but it was serious. "Percy - what she showed you… you must keep it to yourself. Don't let even your mother and stepfather know. I would have stopped her if I had the chance, but it could be dangerous if too many people know."

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to." He reassured him.

It was the right thing to say, because after that, everyone appeared to be more at ease while he was eating. Just like last time, Esme's cooking was delicious - almost better than his mom's, but not quite. His mom would always have first place. He had lost track of time as he mingled with them and when he glanced up at the time he swore a bit under his breath. "Man, I didn't know it was getting that late already." At the same time he remember another important detail and groaned a bit. "And I left my car in the middle of nowhere too... " Hopefully it hadn't been stolen or something. He had the keys, at least.

"You could spend the night here!" Nessie grinned.

Percy looked out the window. It was getting dark - he'd probably still be able to see, though. "I don't know. I would have to see what Paul and my mom are doing." At the thought of him, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He didn't have any missed calls or messages so he took that as a good sign. "Let me text Paul to see how my mom is."

Paul was usually really good at replying so he didn't have to wait to long for a response. _Your mom is doing fine. She's just a bit sore. Are you doing okay?_

 _Yeah, I was visiting the Cullens again. I just wanted to check in with you guys._

He looked back up at Nessie who was waiting patiently. "If it's all right with everyone," He began, "I don't mind heading out either. It's not too dark yet."

"You are welcome to," Carlisle smiled, "to be honest, it would make me feel a bit better if you did. After hearing about those rogue vampires, it may not be as safe out there for the time being."

Nessie was bouncing before Carlisle had the chance to finish and he grabbed his hand lightly. "You can stay in my room if you want. I have a couch that folds out into a bed."

Percy laughed a bit at her excitement. "Sure. As long as it's cool with your dad and mom. I might take a shower first, though." He grimaced, looking down at his shirt and pants. They were still dirty from rolling around and nearly getting impaled by Black Fang. "Can I use yours?"

"Of course!" Alice was the one who bounced up. "I can show you where it is," She was looking at his dirty clothes as well, "I can also find something else for you to wear so those can be washed."

 _A shower was exactly what he needed._

Before he was even finished he felt refreshed and not too long after he stepped out he heard a light knock on the door. Keeping hold of his towel in one hand, he opened the door a crack. Alice was standing on the other side with a shirt and pants. "These are Edward's - they might be just a bit tight on you, though."

"That's okay." She honestly didn't have to do that, but he wasn't going to reject them now and he opened the door a bit wider to take them from her.

Once he was changed, he headed off to the cottage with Nessie - dropping his dirty clothes off on the way, and the two of them set him up for the night. "Do you need any more blankets?" Nessie asked him, "we have more in my closet."

"Nah, I'm fine," He was all settled in the pull out bed and she was tucking herself in.

For a while everything was quiet - he stared up at the ceiling for a bit, assuming eventually that she'd fallen asleep and just as he was beginning to doze off, he heard her voice. "Percy?"

"Hmm?" He hummed sleepily.

"Do you think we're monsters?"

He shifted a bit so he could look back to her bed - the room was dark now and a bit hard to see. "Why would I think that?"

"...nevermind. Thank you for staying the night."

He frowned a bit. "No problem - goodnight."

After that exchange, it wasn't too long until he fell asleep once more. His hopes for a peaceful night's rest were instantly dashed when he felt the familiar feeling of being tugged into a dream. As the scene unfolded, he realized he was back in the meadow. At first, there was no one else around and he had a bit of hope that this was going to be a normal dream after all, but that hope was diminished when he heard a voice. "Huh. So it does work - I wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage it." Percy quickly turned to look behind him. There was a young man standing up against a tree, his arms folded casually. He was peering at Percy with a look of intrigue. His skin was darker and his hair was black - he reminded him a little bit of the people at La Push, but slightly different. The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he regarded Percy, "I think I need to work on it, though. You're going in and out of focus too much."

"...Who are you?" He had been expecting to see some sort of deity or monster, but he didn't recognize him at all.

The man gave him a grin. "What a shame - you've already forgotten me. I'm somewhat hurt, Percy Jackson."

"I'm pretty sure I haven't met you," Percy paused, giving the man a double take, "unless if that's not your usual form. Then maybe?"

The other laughed, seeming rather amused with his confusion, "Very well - allow me to introduce myself, then."

A mischievous gleam sparked in the man's eyes.

"I am Coyote the Trickster."


End file.
